The omicron variant that is taking the world by storm is not “the same disease we saw a year ago”, an Oxford University immunologist told the Bloomberg agency, confirming reports of the strain’s milder nature.
The mutant first discovered at the end of November seems to be less severe, and even patients who end up in the hospital spend less time there, John Bell, professor of medicine at Oxford, said on BBC Radio 4’s Today program.
“The horrific scenes we saw a year ago – intensive care units were full, many people died prematurely – are now history in my opinion, and I think we should be reassuredthat this is likely to continue, ”said Bell.