Omicron: The mildness narrative should not make you complacent

New Delhi, Jan 06: With the number of COVID-19 cases rising rapidly in India, the government has said that one should not fall for the mildness narrative with regard to the new variant Omicron.

Although the hospitalisation in case of Omicron is low when compared to the second wave, officials warned against being complacent. The pandemic is now in an exponential spread phase which could potentially overwhelm the healthcare system.

NITI Aayog Member-Health, Dr. V K Paul said, we are seeding a steep rise in cases. There is an exponential spread. Clearly, this is an expanding pandemic. "When cases go up a lot, even a small fraction requiring hospitalisation will be a big number. We have to slow this down. Use masks, observe social distancing. If we don't, there will be pressure on health services. Systems can be overwhelmed. We cannot take this narrative of 'mildness' and become complacent," he also said.