MP: Best option is to catch coronavirus
HE CLAIMS CATCHING AND RECOVERING FROM ILLNESS IS THE BEST PROTECTION
ASHBY’S MP has claimed the best protection again coronavirus is to catch it and “then to have recovered”.
Andrew Bridgen, who represents North West Leicestershire, was one more than 100 Tories to vote against the Government last week on the introduction of its Plan B restrictions, including the introduction of vaccine passports.
He made the comments about catching the virus in the House of Commons.
Mr Bridgen, who had previously said the arrival of the new Omicron variant was “good news” for the UK, said the science backed him up.
He told fellow MPS: “The best protection of all is actually to have had the virus and then to have recovered.
“The scientific evidence shows that someone is probably 10 to 20 times less likely to be reinfected if they have already had and have recovered from the virus than if they are double vaccinated.”
However, health bosses have consistently said the most effective form of protection against serious illness from Covid-19 is to get at least two doses of a vaccine.
The roll-out of booster jabs to all adults has furthered the need for protection against Covid-19, with the spread of the Omicron variant leading to a tightening of restrictions.
Most recent figures showed that Leicestershire has more than suspected 100 cases of the new variant in the county, but there have been consistent calls from some, including Mr Bridgen, that Omicron was only mild compared to other forms of Covid-19.
Mr Bridgen said: “There have undoubtedly been far fewer deaths due to the Omicron variant in South Africa despite its having been prevalent for four months and having replaced other variants that were more deadly in various ways.
“All the evidence we are hearing is that Omicron is a milder form of Covid with fewer cases of serious disease, fewer hospitalisations and, thankfully, far fewer deaths.”
Despite these calls, Leicestershire County Council’s director of public health Mike Sandys said people needed to take the situation seriously.
“The other point is just getting people to understand the difference between it looking like it has milder symptoms overall than Delta but that doesn’t mean every single case is going to be mild,” he said earlier this week.
“Overall it’s milder, but you’re still going to get a proportion of people who are going to be hit hardest and will be hospitalised and then die.
“If you’ve got an awful lot of cases multiplied by a slightly milder illness, that’s still an awful lot of very sick people.”
He called on people to get protected as soon as possible.
“It’s never too late to come forward and get vaccinated. It’s never too late to wear a face covering where indicated and play your part in combating this,” he said.
As for the tightening of restrictions, Mr Bridgen remains unconvinced and voted against mandatory vaccination for all NHS staff and the widening of compulsory face maskwearing as well as vaccine passports. He believed the situation was only getting worse because of public fear, reports Leicestershirelive. “The most dangerous epidemic sweeping the world and our country is an epidemic of fear. It has seriously damaged mental health and particularly damaged the mental health of our young people,” he said. It must end.”
All the evidence we are hearing is that Omicron is a milder form of covid with fewer cases of serious disease, Andrew Bridgen