A US-based cardiologist termed Omicron variant as nothing more than a “seasonal cold virus”, and has warned against “overreaction and over-reach” by government agencies. He claimed that Omicron is “literally” the vaccine that vaccine companies could not make. He also said that the actions of government agencies are causing panic and providing misinformation.
Medical Director at Los Angeles Heart Specialists, Afshine Emrani, suggested in a series of tweets on Tuesday, that the countries should focus their resources on providing “psychological and financial assistance” to people, instead of testing for Omicron.
Emrani, who has over 26 thousand followers on Twitter, claimed that Omicron is “literally” the vaccine that vaccine companies could not make. He added that within “8-12 weeks the world will be vaccinated” due to the spread of the virus.
“There is little we can do to stop this virus from infecting 80 per cent of the population. Masks. Vaccine card mandates will make no difference. Sure, people who are vaccinated have a much lower chance of dying or getting hospitalized,” he said in one of his tweets.
“The biggest threat in my opinion remains in over-reaction and over-reach by government agencies, causing panic, providing misinformation, leading to closures that hurt those most vulnerable among us,” he opined.
https://twitter.com/afshineemrani/status/1475867396263100426
He went on to claim that the United States will report 2 million positive cases per day for few weeks, after which the “numbers will drop dramatically”.
“Just like South Africa. And Europe. Having millions positive in America, but asking travelers to quarantine in another country before coming back is silly,” he further said.
Opposing the restrictions imposed in the wake of Omicron, Emrani said: “Our government’s reaction will be more harmful than the virus itself.”
The World Health Organisation, said overall risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron remains “very high”, in its weekly epidemiological update. However, the UN health agency added that early data from South Africa, the United Kingdom and Denmark suggests there is a reduced risk of hospitalization for the Omicron compared to the Delta variant.
“Consistent evidence shows that the Omicron has a growth advantage over the Delta with a doubling time of 2-3 days and rapid increases in the incidence of cases is seen in a number of countries, including those where the variant has become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant,” it added.
In an interview published in Moscow tabloid KP, Anatoly Altshtein, a virologist at the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, which pioneered Russia’s Sputnik V jab, also claimed that the Omicron variant could actually help bring the pandemic to an end.
Contrary to what we’re told the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus results in only mild disease, without prominent symptoms, according to Angelique Coetzee, the chairwoman of the South African Medical Association.
As per a new preliminary study by researchers from Nference, the new Omicron variant may have picked up genetic material from the virus that causes common cold. Researchers suggest that is the reason why it can have lower virulence and greater transmission rate as compared to other coronavirus variants.