People who have received at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are substantially protected against hospitalization if they get infected with the highly contagious omicron variant, according to a research study published on Wednesday.

The London-based Medical Research Council Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis carried out a study on omicron patients who tested positive with PCR testing, as well as with those hospitalized for at least one day.

The researchers discovered evidence of a lower risk of hospitalization for omicron infections when compared to the previous delta variant.

“Our estimates suggest that individuals who have received at least two vaccine doses remain substantially protected against hospitalization, even if protection against infection has been largely lost against the omicron variant,” the scientists explained.

A previous infection reduces the risk of any hospitalization by approximately 50%, while also lowering the risk of a hospital stay of more than one day by 61%.

The data showed differences in the effectiveness of vaccines on the omicron variant. “Hazard ratios for hospital attendance with Omicron for Pfizer/Moderna are similar to those seen for Delta in those vaccination categories, while omicron hazard ratios are generally lower than for Delta for the AstraZeneca vaccination categories,” it stated.​​​​​​​/aa