Scientists in the United Kingdom have warned that the number of deaths from the Omicron variant could range from 25,000 to 75,000 by the end of April, depending on how well vaccines perform in the country.
The experts behind the study, however, said there was still uncertainty about the modelling, according to the BBC on Saturday.
The research was conducted by a powerful group of disease modellers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), who also advise the government – but it is not a crystal ball.
According to the report, it is unclear what will happen with the Omicron variant of Covid-19, but it does provide a range of possible outcomes.
The study is based on the assumption that Omicron is less severe if one has been vaccinated, and it also considers the current Plan B measures.
According to the researchers, high uptake of the booster dose is likely to mitigate the impact of the Omicron wave.
It came as the UK announced 54,073 new cases on Saturday, including 633 of Omicron – though the true number of Omicron cases is much higher.
One of the researchers, Nick Davies, stated that Omicron was spreading “very quickly,” was “quite concerning,” and was likely to be the dominant form of the virus in the UK by the end of the year.
According to the report, the number of infected people in the UK is currently doubling every 2.4 days.
