People wait for COVID-19 testing on New York's Upper West Side on Dec. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

       HONG KONG (Kyodo) -- Researchers at a Hong Kong university have found that the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus infects and multiplies much faster than the Delta strain but causes less severe infections in the lungs, local media reported on Thursday.

       The researchers at the University of Hong Kong said the Omicron variant multiplies 70 times faster than the Delta strain in the human bronchi, which could account for the quick transmission rate as compared with Delta and other coronavirus strains, according to the reports by Ming Pao Daily and other local media.

       The findings have also shown that the rate of Omicron replication in the lungs is over 10 times lower than the original virus, which was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, indicating less severe symptoms.

       But Michael Chan, who headed the research team, has said that the overall threat from the Omicron strain is likely to be "very significant" as the fast-multiplying variant, which is partially immune to vaccines, could infect many more people despite being less pathogenic.

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