Analysis: There’s been a narrative that Omicron may be milder than previous strains. But scientists say they don’t actually know this yet. And even if it is, we could still be facing a big problem for the health system | aishamae
Omicron in NSW is causing what commentators say is its signature look - a close-to-vertical upwards line of cases. It makes for a striking graph.
This means we don’t know how many of these thousands of new cases will develop into serious bouts of illness needing medical care, and how at risk our hospitals are of being pushed beyond the brink. While some have jumped on the comparatively small increase in hospital cases as a sign Omicron could be less dangerous, experts say there’s always a lag between new infections and people falling ill.
“There’s a huge potential for the case numbers to be at unprecedented levels by the time we do know about severity … and we would have lost the opportunity to minimise the impact.”
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