But some of the difference is probably also because Omicron is inherently less severe. Several pre-print animal studies suggest that the mutations that make it so incredibly contagious and evasive to prior immunity also make it less able to infect the lungs — where the previous variants wreaked their worst havoc.

That is all to the good. But increased contagiousness can compensate for that lessened severity with sheer numbers of infections. Sure enough, across the United States, the staggeringly rapid spread of Omicron is swamping clinics and hospitals that were already reeling from two years of nearly nonstop pandemic. Burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder, and simple exhaustion have badly eroded the ranks of medical staff, and thousands of them have also caught Omicron. The remainder are dealing with yet another surge of patients — some of whom are prone to assaulting workers.

It would be a good idea to hunker down and avoid the emergency room if at all possible for about the next 6 to 8 weeks.