Omicron ‘can only cause cold-like symptoms even in elderly people’

Super-transmitted Omicron can cause only mild cold-like symptoms even in elderly people – as long as they’ve been stung, a leading scientist says.

Even though it’s very contagious, early studies indicate that the new strain does not often lead to severe disease like the Delta variant.

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Professor Tim Spector, from King’s College London, examined the UK’s Omicron superspreader events involving older people – and found patients were mostly “sniffing”.

“What we are seeing so far are very, very mild symptoms,” he said.

“Most of my information comes from one big event, a 60th birthday party, where 18 people aged 60 to 75 spent the night together in a hotel.

“Most of them have cold symptoms – frequent sniffles, sore throats and fatigue.

“Only two people had classic symptoms of Covid, fever and loss of smell or taste.

“Nobody has to see their doctor or go to the hospital.”

He added that everyone in the party had been tried twice and some had been boosted.

Professor Sian Griffiths, Imperial College London, added:
“We have to think about how we adapt to our lives.”

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