“I’m sure for example the numbers that we see on data over the next few days will be quite staggering compared to the rate of growth that we’ve seen in cases for previous variants,” she was quoted as saying to a committee of British lawmakers on Wednesday.
“The real potential risk here – and I would underline that because we are still learning a lot about the variant – is in relation to its severity, clinical severity, and therefore whether those cases turn into severe disease, hospitalisations and deaths. We’re still at too early stage for that. In fact, the world probably is still at too early a stage to be clear,” she added.
Her feedback got here simply earlier than the UK reported a file variety of new every day Covid-19 instances on Wednesday, with 78,610 within the final 24 hours, the report stated.
The determine was a rise from 59,610 the day earlier than, and it surpasses the earlier excessive of 68,053 instances reported on January 8. The nation has additionally reported its first dying as a consequence of Omicron.
While preliminary reviews counsel that the Omicron variant may not be any extra extreme than different Covid strains, well being consultants have repeatedly warned that the sheer variety of infections may result in mounting fatalities and an overwhelmed health-care system.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen. But at the moment the indications are it could be as big or even bigger than the previous wave this time last year. So we’re preparing for that,” Harries stated.
Source: IANS
