With the weakening of the pathogenicity of Omicron virus, the popularization of vaccination and the accumulation of prevention and control experience, the epidemic prevention and control in China is facing new situations and tasks. Judging from the recent first-line treatment, is the severe rate caused by Omikjon high? How to treat the elderly and patients with basic diseases infected with Omikjon? Tong Chaohui, a respiratory critical disease expert organized by the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council, vice president of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, and director of Beijing Institute of Respiratory Diseases, gave professional answers. 1. Question: According to the recent first-line treatment, is the severity rate caused by Omikjon high? A: With the variation of the virus, the popularization of vaccination and the accumulation of experience in prevention and control, the hospitalization rate, severe disease rate and case fatality rate caused by Omicron are significantly reduced. Judging from the current national cases, the symptoms of upper respiratory tract after infection with Omikjon are mainly manifested as throat discomfort, cough, etc. Asymptomatic and mild types account for more than 90%. Common types (with pneumonia symptoms) are few, while severe types (requiring high flow oxygen therapy or receiving non-invasive and invasive ventilation) account for less. This is very different from the symptoms caused by the original COVID-19 strain during the Wuhan Defense War. At that time, there were many severe patients, and some young and middle-aged patients also had white lungs and acute respiratory failure. However, during this round of epidemic, only a few patients had to be intubated with ventilators due to COVID-19 according to the treatment of designated hospitals in Beijing. 2. Question: How to treat the elderly and patients with basic diseases infected with Omikjon? Answer: The elderly, patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and other basic diseases, cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and pregnant women in late pregnancy have low immunity, which can be summarized as vulnerable groups. From the current treatment situation, they were admitted to designated hospitals after being infected with COVID-19. Most of them were due to primary diseases, but they could not be admitted to general hospitals because of positive nucleic acid. The symptoms of COVID-19 in such patients are not obvious, and the treatment usually does not make much difference. For a small number of patients with typical COVID-19 in clinical manifestations such as CT images, medical staff shall treat them in strict accordance with standards and specifications. In designated hospitals in Beijing, multi-disciplinary experts will also be organized for consultation for some elderly patients with basic diseases. After treatment, if the nucleic acid test of the patient has turned negative, it will gradually be diverted from the designated hospital to other hospitals. (Liu Xinshe)