Omicron can create herd immunity if it is not severe: respiratory specialist
The Omicron variant will create natural herd immunity in one or two months if it is not severe, Vichaiyut Hospital respiratory specialist Dr Manoon Leechawengwongs wrote on his Facebook page.
The post said the variant has now spread to more than 50 countries in one month. Thailand has already found three Omicron cases.
Omicron can spread twice as quickly as the Delta variant and two doses of current vaccinations are unlikely to provide immunity against it.
However, the latest Covid-19 variant is thought to be less severe than Delta, according to available information from Africa. African patients have shown few symptoms such as a cold, sore throat, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, tiredness, headache and body ache. And there have been no reports so far of Omicron causing any deaths.
Manoon expects the variant to spread rapidly worldwide in two or three months. It will be good news if it is not severe, he wrote, adding that it will then create herd immunity and make Covid-19 become endemic.
Manoon said Thais should not worry about Omicron too much. But he urged people to be cautious by wearing masks, keeping a distance from others, washing hands, avoiding closed or crowded places, and getting fully vaccinated.
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He asked everyone to prepare to be infected with Omicron, which would create herd immunity.
