‘Only hermits can avoid mutant virus’
OMICRON is spreading so fast that people would have to live ‘the life of a hermit’ to avoid it, an expert has warned.
Eleanor Riley, a professor of immunology and infectious disease at the University of Edinburgh, said it was ‘very likely’ that almost everyone will come into contact with the mutant variant in the coming weeks.
She also warned ‘a lot of people’ could end up in hospital, even if Omicron sparks milder symptoms than the Delta variant. Professor Riley told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘Omicron is spreading so quickly that, I think, unless you are living the life of a hermit, you are very likely to come across it in the next few weeks.
‘I don’t think anyone should be going around thinking they are not going to catch it, I think that situation has changed.’
Referring to reports that Omicron may produce milder symptoms than Delta following data released last week from South Africa, she said it was ‘dangerous’ to compare the two countries.
She said: ‘Even if it is milder and, therefore, a smaller proportion of infected people end up in hospital, given that so many people are going to come across this virus, even a small proportion of a lot of people is a lot of people in hospital.’
Figures show Omicron could be up to three times more infectious than Delta.
But early evidence from South Africa suggests hospitalisations for Omicron are down compared with Delta admissions – sparking hopes that the symptoms caused by the mutation are generally milder.
The former boss of the UK’s vaccine task force, Dr Clive Dix, has previously said that fears about the spread of the bug could be a ‘storm in a teacup’.
He said: ‘We will get a massive wave of Omicron, there’s no doubt about it.
‘But all of the data shows – and the trends are all in the same direction – that it’s not a particularly vicious virus and the symptoms, particularly in vaccinated people, will be relatively mild.’