Explainer: Why you should still avoid Omicron
The fast-spreading Omicron variant.
It causes milder illness compared with previous versions of the coronavirus.
And that has furthered the idea that COVID-19 poses less of a risk than in the past.
U.S. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, SAYING: "You know, be concerned about Omicron, but don't be alarmed."
Some are asking, why bother avoiding the virus now, if everybody will be exposed sooner or later?
But here's why experts say you should still avoid catching Omicron.
1) You could still become very ill
The extraordinary spread of Omicron in many countries means that in absolute numbers, more people will experience severe disease.
Recent data from Italy and Germany show that people who are not vaccinated are far more vulnerable when it comes to hospitalization, intensive care, and even death.
DIRECTOR OF NIAID, DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, SAYING: "Even if you have a less of a percentage of severity, when you have multi-, multi-, multi-fold, more people getting infected, the net amount is you're still going to get a lot of people that are going to be needing hospitalization."
2) You could still infect others
While you might become only mildly ill, you could still pass the virus to someone else at risk for critical illness.
That’s even if you have antibodies from prior infection or from vaccination, according to experts.
DIRECTOR OF THE WHO, TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, SAYING: "Let's be clear. While Omicron causes less severe disease than Delta, it remains a dangerous virus. Particularly for those who are unvaccinated. Almost 50,000 deaths a week is 50,000 deaths too many."
3) Omicron’s long-term effects are still unknown…
Infections with earlier variants of the coronavirus sometimes have caused the lingering, debilitating long-haul COVID syndrome – known to many as "Long Covid.”
It’s still also unclear is whether Omicron will have any of the "silent" effects seen with earlier variants, such as self-attacking antibodies, sperm impairments, and changes in insulin-producing cells
4) Medications are in short supply
Omicron treatments are so limited that doctors have to ration them.
Two of the three antibody drugs used during past COVID-19 waves are ineffective against this variant.
The third, Sotrovimab, from GlaxoSmithKline, is in short supply.
As is a new oral antiviral treatment called Paxlovid from Pfizer Inc, that appears effective against Omicron.
That means if you get sick, you might not have access to treatments.
5) Hospitals are filling up
In the United States, for example, hospitals have been overwhelmed by the surge of COVID-19 cases driven by Omicron.
And staff shortages have compounded the problem.
Jodie Parsons is a nurse in Ohio.
"I've never seen anything like it since I've been a nurse. I was an OPM (before becoming an RN. And I can tell you that there has been more deaths that I've seen the whole time in just one week than I normally see in a month, let alone in a day."
The record number of infected patients has meant that hospitals have had to postpone elective surgeries and cancer treatments.
And during past surges, overwhelmed hospitals have been unable to properly treat other emergencies, such as heart attacks.
6) Finally, more infections, mean more new variants
Omicron is the fifth highly significant variant of the original SARS-COV-2, and it remains to be seen if the ability of the virus to mutate further will slow down.
High infection rates also give the virus more opportunities to mutate.
And there's no guarantee that a new version of coronavirus would be more benign than its predecessors.
相關影片推薦
3:53
【娛樂訪談】「三太」樊亦敏談愛情:男人唔會淨係夜晚先去滾Yahoo OMG Videos393,664 次觀看・23 小時前2:03
中國湖南平江 淹水災情慘 災民淚崩「沒有收到通知」 街道黃泥覆蓋 滿布泡水車、家具Yahoo 國際通2,174 次觀看・13 小時前5:06
英國大選2024:BNO移英港人「首投族」都在想什麼?BBC News 中文27,926 次觀看・1 天前1:49
南韓小島遭「鹿」侵 數量為人類7倍 毀壞農作物、挖祖墳 居民請願撲殺Yahoo 國際通6,234 次觀看・22 小時前1:09
忽然一場暴雨! 圳溝堵住 東勢東坑路滿街黃泥水TVBS新聞網影音1,913 次觀看・1 週前2:19
日本時隔20年發行新日幣 全球首創「全息防偽技術」 拉麵店砸12萬元升級點餐機Yahoo 國際通28,108 次觀看・1 天前1:35
中國洪患不斷 湖南平江水位破70年紀錄 空拍直擊水鄉澤國 34萬人疏散Yahoo 國際通663 次觀看・1 天前0:50
律敦治醫院老人科療養病房爆新冠群組 15人確診now.com 影音新聞32,729 次觀看・22 小時前1:40
140億韓圜打造!《劫機1971》逼真重現韓國史上最驚心動魄高空浩劫Yahoo Movies HK87,510 次觀看・2 天前0:43
北區醫院內科病房爆人類偏肺病毒群組 多兩人確診now.com 影音新聞10,096 次觀看・14 小時前