Variant like common cold, says expert

THE Omicron variant, which is sweeping through Scotland and threatening Christmas plans, could prove to be ‘a good thing’, one expert has claimed.

Dr Christine Tait-Burkard, of Edinburgh University, said the new version of Covid is ‘much more reflecting of a common cold’.

The new variant – more transmissible than the Alpha or Delta strains – originated in South Africa. If it were to prove less harmful than those previous variants, that would be a boost in the world’s battle with the pandemic. Dr Tait-Burkard said the ‘good news’ from there was it also appeared milder and resulted in shorter illnesses.

There has been a reluctance to rely too heavily on the South African experience of Omicron, because the population is generally younger than the UK’s and vaccination rates are lower.

But Dr Tait-Burkard said there is evidence the booster jab will be up to 85 per cent effective against the new variant and this, along with the data from South Africa, should give some cause for optimism.

She told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland: ‘They’re seeing around a three times lower hospitalisation rate this time round. People are in hospital for shorter time periods and the mortality rate is also six times down. We should really take into account that Omicron could be, to some extent, good news. We see that, in the UK population as well, the symptoms of Omicron have changed compared to Delta.

‘They’re much more reflecting a common cold in most people, and the virus seems to last for shorter time periods, which could impact on the ten-day isolation rule.’