Should we be more concerned about Omicron?

With every passing day, it feels like we somehow end up further away from an end to Coronavirus. With the rapidly rising numbers of infections with the Omicron variant in the UK, should we be becoming more concerned by this new strain?

With the announcement of Omicron making its way into the UK, many people have likely become concerned about how dangerous this new variant could be. These concerns have also likely been raised due to the reintroduction of compulsory mask use in England.

Current figures suggest that the number of cases of the Omicron variant are doubling every three days in the UK. With cases multiplying at this rate, it is entirely likely that Omicron will quickly become the most dominant strain of Coronavirus in the country.

With these cases rising so rapidly, should we be more concerned? There is still a large amount of debate surrounding the Omicron variant. While many believe that this new strain could potentially be more virulent than others, there are also suggestions that this would make the virus less deadly.

Since the arrival of the new strain of the virus, there have yet to be any deaths directly caused by Omicron. While this is certainly a positive sign, it isn’t conclusive. A much better picture of how deadly the virus could be will likely arise as cases continue to expand across the country.

While it’s hard to conclude how dangerous the new strain is, it does seem apparent that it is extremely contagious. If the virus was to be more contagious and less severe, this could be considered good news. If the virus mutated in a direction of being less dangerous it would be positive.

However, many experts have warned against being too optimistic about the new strain. Like with any new virus, Omicron needs to be treated with extensive research before we can simply conclude that it is safer than previous variants.

It is certainly apparent that we all need to remain cautious about Omicron. While there is certainly some optimism surrounding the new strain, disregarding the potential dangers based on conjecture could have a serious impact on both the population and the NHS.

While there isn’t necessarily more cause for concern than any other strain of Coronavirus, we shouldn’t disregard this new variant at all. Hopefully, this new variant puts us back on course to normality.