Wales is likely to see a “tsunami of cases” of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in the coming weeks, a leading doctor has warned.
The claim has come from Public Health Wales’ Dr Giri Shankar, who also said that new restrictions due to come into force after Christmas might not be enough to stop Covid-19 once again becoming a burden on the healthcare system.
Restrictions currently in place in Wales include the need to wear masks in certain settings such as on public transport and in shops, and a requirement for Covid passes to be shown in cinemas and theatres. However, the Welsh Government has issued strong advice to people in the run-up to Christmas, which includes taking regular lateral flow tests, spacing out social events and meeting outdoors rather than indoors wherever possible.
Read more: Omicron cases jump to new high in Wales
New restrictions will come into force from December 27, meaning nightclubs will have to close completely and extra safety measures will be brought back in for other businesses.
But Dr Shankar has said the fact Covid numbers in Wales are currently better than those seen in parts of England and Scotland does not mean that a huge leap in cases is not on the way.
“We appear to be a week or two behind what London, most parts of England, and Scotland are seeing,” Dr Shankar told the BBC’s Politics Wales programme.
“We need to make that work to our advantage because the higher the cover with booster vaccination, the better.”
Dr Shankar is part of the group which advises the Welsh Government, and said that more measures might have to be taken sooner rather than later, on top of those coming into force from December 27.
“I think we may well see a situation where, despite all those measures and with good compliance to those measures, we may still find that the case numbers and the burden on the system may be such that we might need additional restrictions,” he added.
When it was put to Dr Shankar that there were actually fewer people in hospital with Covid in Wales than at any time since August, he explained that the Omicron variant was “highly transmissible” and that if case numbers climbed considerably it was inevitable that a percentage of those affected would need hospital treatment.
“Even that small proportion, in terms of its absolute number, is enough to tip the balance in the health and care system,” he added.
The Welsh Government is due to meet on Monday to discuss what extra, if any, measures need to be put in place.
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