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The Omicron variant is burning around the world at such speed that even the head of state of Israel, one of the most highly vaccinated countries, warned on Tuesday that it could not be stopped.
“We can’t prevent it,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in blunt comments that reflected a growing consensus in the countries where Omicron circulates: the virus is moving too fast to be caught.
That scary notion – supported by data from countries where Omicron is spreading rapidly just a month after it was first discovered – is tempered by early evidence that the variant causes milder symptoms, with vaccinations and booster vaccinations helping prevent serious illness and death .
Experts around the world have expressed concern that the sheer number of people likely to be infected could result in a flood of patients overwhelmed by already strained healthcare systems. That concern, however, hits those who argue that the time has come to accept that the virus is endemic and that countries should move away from lockdowns and towards looser rules, including shorter quarantines.
John Bell, professor of medicine at Oxford University and advisor to the UK government, said Omicron was “not the same disease we saw a year ago”.
“The horrific scenes we saw a year ago, where the intensive care units were full and many people died prematurely, are now history in my opinion, and I think we should rest assured that this is likely to continue,” said he the BBC on Tuesday.
The UK appears to be a few weeks ahead of most other nations in tackling the first wave of Omicron infection and has for the moment decided that the evidence does not warrant new restrictions.
While the latest numbers in the UK are incomplete because of the Christmas holidays, data released on Monday showed that more than 300,000 new cases of Covid were recorded between Saturday and Monday.
However, Chris Hopson, the head of NHS Providers, the UK health workers affiliate organization, said hospital admissions had increased across the UK but it was not a sharp jump.
“It is very interesting how many people say that many asymptomatic patients are hospitalized for other reasons and then test positive for Covid,” he said of discussions with hospital managers. in a series of posts on Twitter.
“Some describe this as ‘accidental Covid’.”
Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, said the approach to the current surge is complicated.
“If the health services are likely to come under such pressure that they could collapse, then it would be right to take control measures now.” he wrote in a post on TwitterR. “But tighter controls pose a real risk, not just to mental health, the economy, etc.” Forcing a behavior change would not prevent infection, it would only delay it, he said. So further restrictions now would reduce the peak of a spike in cases and could ease short-term pressures on health services, but also lengthen the wave, he added.
“So is it better to reduce the peak now, but with the risk that more people will develop serious illnesses in the long term due to the overall decline in immunity?” He asked. “That makes this decision so difficult. There is no easy answer. “
And Britain can hardly agree on how to react to the moment. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all added new restrictions this week to slow the spread of Omicron, with a primary focus on reducing indoor mixing.
Across Europe, divisions can be seen in the response to what French Prime Minister Jean Castex called “film without end” on Monday.
The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has led to an increase in the record number of cases in France, which puts additional pressure on intensive care units in public hospitals.
In response, the government is paying critical care workers an additional € 100, or about $ 113, a month.
“This is about improving the attractiveness, training, qualification, working conditions in intensive care units, recognition of the skills of those employed there,” said Castex during a visit to an intensive care unit near Paris on Tuesday.
All of the tools the world has become familiar with over the past two years – bans, badges to prove vaccination status, restrictions on private gatherings, masking requirements, social distancing – are used to varying degrees across the continent.
And the pushback continues to build.
On Monday night, thousands of people took to the streets in Germany to protest against new measures that will close all nightclubs, ban private meetings of more than 10 people, and introduce further restrictions on cinemas, as well as cultural and sports events.
Demonstrations on Monday met with particular response in Germany, as weekly demonstration walks on that day contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
According to police estimates, around 15,000 demonstrators took part in protest actions in several cities in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
With or without regulations to contain the spread of the virus, positive test results are bothering companies around the world. Over the Christmas holidays, Omicron wreaked havoc on travel, entertainment and sporting events around the world.
To limit the disruption, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention opened on Monday shortened the recommended time That Americans should isolate themselves after testing positive for Covid-19 if they are asymptomatic – for five days instead of 10.
The first case of Omicron in the United States wasn’t discovered until December 1, but the CDC estimated on Tuesday that it was responsible more than 58 percent of the coronavirus variants were circulating in the country last week.
This rapid spread and dominance of Omicron is a reflection of what has been seen around the world.
According to experts, more than half of the daily infections in Israel are now caused by Omicron, and the variant is expected to overtake Delta as the dominant one in the country within a few days.
Among those who tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday was Mr Bennett’s own daughter, who is 14 years old and vaccinated, according to his office.
Mr. Bennett, who previously tested negative, works in isolation.
Isabel Kershner and Christopher F. Sagittarius Reporting contributed.
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