Omicron to “overwhelm” world in 3-6 months

Omicron is set to take over Delta as the dominant COVID-19 virus strain in the coming months.

Dr Leong Hoe Nam of Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital in Singapore told CNBC that “Omicron will dominate and overwhelm the whole world in three to six months”.

Leong said that with a surge in cases, health-care systems could be overwhelmed even if only 1 or 2 percent of the cases end up in hospital.

On hopes for a vaccine targetted at the variant, Leong said “it is not practical”.

“We won’t be able to rush out the vaccines in time and by the time the vaccines come, practically everyone will be infected [with] Omicron given this high infectious and transmissibility,” he said.

However, Dr Syra Madad, a fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, said that “our current vaccines will hold up to a certain extent, with this new variant” and, with boosters, should still provide a “good level of protection”.