New studies on Omicron provide more insight on COVID variant

New studies out of South Africa and the U.K. suggest the Omicron variant is less likely to cause hospitalizations -- but it can still be deadly. The FDA also authorized a new antiviral pill to treat COVID-19. CBS News' Nancy Chen reports on the latest, and then Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, spoke with Jessi Mitchell on CBSN about the Omicron research and how some patients are experiencing different symptoms than earlier strains.

[Beastboy]

Also how many people in the ICU in Michigan are delta? You’re leaving out info, it’s bad journalism

[dashmanqq]

Omicron is the mildest variant so far its a good sign that the virus is weakening. It also spreads much faster which could ultimately speed up an end to the pandemic.

[janwadysawkrok-wadysaw]

I think I might have it. I have the sniffles, chills, headache for two straight days, diarrhea, mild burning in sinuses and in my upper chest, mild sore throat, low grade fever, irritability.

[galupproperties]

Isn’t the main reason for healthcare worker shortage the vaccine mandates a lot of hospitals pushed?

[taniaburton]

Who can get a doctor and prescription in three days?

[sneekydee]

Feed that fear the sheep are starving.

[Beastboy]

I have an idea CBS, if you want to promote a story that omicron is less severe, how about stop making the thumbnail people in ICUs? Because that is just creating mental health problems for people who are scared

[WSTofKMT]

Pills won't be available for months...🙄

[magalover]

Are there omicron testing? I mean is the doctor going to tell patients which one they have?

[AlexMAGA]

Government should say the truth this year is the endemic l

[xkgfjzc]

THE DEATH RATE FROM OMICRON IS LITERALLY ZERO!. 0.0000%🎅

[ZeroEntropy.]

One thing that could have helped staffing shortages would have been to not fire healthcare workers who didn't get the vaccine that "may work" against Omicron. Also, Fauci, seriously, why is he still around?

[leftuonopen]

Yea I got it, crazy thing is they’re not doing anything at the hospital if it’s not major .. I literally got 4 ppl sick already

[tonytony]

How many people have died from Omicron variant that causes all these flight cancelations?

[uzbekistansiberia]

i like hearing the thinking behind medicine, drug interactions.

[princessjohnson]

Oh wow really right wow please come on

[anthonypiccinich]

mass non-compliance only way this nonsense ends!

[Condor]

Open everything up, and stop all Mitigation. Allow it to spread naturally. This Pandemic will be over in weeks.

Merry Christmas!!!

[themanman]

Right because when Trump was in office we knew what was going on with Covid, we had no idea what was going on stop putting Trump in it, Biden dropped the ball with the testing stop trying to add Trump

[mattb]

so mild and gentle you can take it even when you're FAKING a headache.