The Delta strain of coronavirus is a greater concern for the United Kingdom than the newly discovered omicron strain, said Chris Whitty, a leading British epidemiologist.

According to the epidemiologist, the government of Boris Johnson was right when it decided on stricter measures, such as the suspension of travel from six African countries, in order to slow down the arrival of the new variant in the UK.

However, Whitty warns that any attempt to impose stricter restrictions could face public opposition and suggests that concerns should be focused more on the current threat - the delta strain of the coronavirus.

He also stressed that the new variant does not mean doomsday, ie that he is more concerned about the danger posed by existing variants of the virus, emphasizing that the epidemic of the delta strain is the main thing that should not worry us until Christmas, reports Telegraf.

-We knew that from time to time new variants would appear, but there is a lot we do not know and speculation is probably not very useful, said Professor Whitty at yesterday's panel discussion.

John Bell, one of the most prominent government advisers on vaccines and leader of the team that developed the AstraZeneka vaccine, told the panel that the new omicron strain could only cause a runny nose and headaches in those who had been vaccinated.

-Although the new variant may be able to avoid antibodies, it is less likely to escape from T cells and other parts of the immune system that provide broader protection, he said.

The World Health Organization yesterday gave the Greek word Omicron to the newly identified variant of the coronavirus, which appeared in South Africa, stressing that the advisory group recommended that it be labeled "worrying".

Source: MIA