Social media have been alive with news half of us might catch the Omicron virus, but symptoms could be mild. Some hardly notice the little word ‘could’, but perhaps we should because there’s no guarantee of an easy ride. We review the downside of catching Omicron to get it over with, and conclude it is not a good idea.
How You May Not Get Over Omicron That Easily
CNN Health’s Sandee La Motte spoke to Dr. Paul Offit, director of Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He and Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director of Havey Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University were equally concerned. They warned of the downside of catching Omicron, as the consequences may not be a walk in the park, after all.
Because the Downside of Catching Omicron May Be Severe
1… Omicron is not a bad cold and we could become severely ill. Even healthy young people are going to hospital with it, and some are dying.
2… A number of Omicron symptoms may linger on and even become permanent. These include breathlessness, fatigue, sleep difficulties, the list is longer.
3… We could share our infection with an unvaccinated / partly vaccinated child. What reason could we possibly have to send them to hospital?
4 … We could also end up in hospital ourselves, and occupy a bed that might otherwise save another person’s life. Do we want to risk taking on that responsibility?
5… And finally, we ought not to play games with Mother Nature, Dr. Paul Offit told Sandee Lee. We have only one life and we should cherish it.
Dr. Paul Offit concluded the interview by recalling ‘chickenpox parties’ some American used to host. The general idea was to catch the virus young, because adult symptoms were worse.
However, some party children also suffered and died. ‘Don’t mess with Mother Nature,’ he warned. ‘She’s been trying to kill us ever since we crawled out of the ocean onto the land.’
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