COVID-19: Omicron not as deadly as previous variants ― Medical Guild

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Association of Lagos State Government Employed, Medical Guild, on Monday, allayed fears over the current spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, saying that, available data has so far shown that the new variant was not as deadly as previous variants.

Speaking during the association’s 2021 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference which will run from 5th to 10th of December, 2021, the Chairman of Medical Guild, Dr. Oluwajimi Sodipo said virus mutation was not new but the challenge most time rests on whether the protective measure adopted earlier against previous variants will work or not.

“People tend to also worry whether the available vaccines will be for the new variant and how violent the new variant will be.

Association of Lagos State Government Employed, Medical Guild, on Monday, allayed fears over the current spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, saying that, available data has so far shown that the new variant was not as deadly as previous variants.

Speaking during the association’s 2021 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference which will run from 5th to 10th of December, 2021, the Chairman of Medical Guild, Dr. Oluwajimi Sodipo said virus mutation was not new but the challenge most time rests on whether the protective measure adopted earlier against previous variants will work or not.

“People tend to also worry whether the available vaccines will be suitable for the new variant and how violent the new variant will be.

variants but for now, some of the studies from different part of the world have shown that there is some level of protection by the available vaccines against the new variant.

“Another positive news is that the Omicron variant is not as deadly as some of the previous variants we see in terms of death and morbidity.

Speaking on the association’s conference, Sodipo hinted that this year, the conference will proffer solutions to the issue of human resources for health in Lagos State and also look into the best way to address the issue of professionalism and rivalry in the health sector.

Sodipo, however, encouraged Nigerians to continue to follow the non-pharmaceutical guidelines and also get vaccinated.

“We must not let our guard down, this is the best opportunity to get

vaccinated because there is still an expansion of vaccine program right now. Also, a lot of private hospitals have come on board.

“We are in the festive season and some of the challenges associated with the season is more

parties, but we need to balance our lifestyle with difficult measures to be taken to prevent the virus.”