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Bec Judd slams 'fear-mongering' over Omicron Covid variant: 'Triggered'
Rebecca Judd has called out the hysteria being created around the new Omicron Covid variant, saying Australians have no reason to be "triggered" by it.
Taking to Instagram on Monday night, Bec shared an article which was written for the Herald Sun by commentator Rita Panahi, speaking of how some scientists believe Omicron is a milder version of the virus.
The article, which was written for the Herald Sun by commentator Rita Panahi, spoke of how scientists believe Omicron is a milder version of the virus.
"Brilliant article @ritapanahi," Bec wrote. "For anyone triggered by the arrival of Omicron and the associated 'fear-mongering for clicks' media articles, please read this.
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"The expert opinions offered from many professionals are pointing in the right direction."
So far, some experts seem to be suggesting that Omicron is actually milder and less severe than Delta, with many people being asymptomatic.
Infectious disease physician and former Australian deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth told The Today Show on Monday: "If this is milder than Delta you actually want it to spread within your community. You want it to outcompete Delta and become the predominant circulating virus.
"So, that shows you how much more we have to learn about this because it could be, it could be that we want Omicron to spread around the world as quickly as possible."
"I definitely don’t think we should be waking up to any sort of panic … I don’t think there’s any strong evidence at the moment, apart from the fact that it’s got 30 mutations that those mutations are going to have the sort of negative effect that we think," he added.
Infectious disease physicians and leading epidemiologist Professor Greg Dore explained experts are simply accelerating evidence gathering about the new strain, they are not pulling "the panic levers".
Chair of the South African Medical Association Dr Angelique Coetzee who was one of the first to identify Omicron said: "For patients with mild disease we have easily treated them at home with no complications up until now, they’re all healthy. It might be the same … The same type of infectiousness as the Delta variant but the severity that we have currently seeing is not so severe.
"(Patients) have asymptomatic symptoms not the same as Delta, no loss of smell, no loss of taste, no stuffy nose, no cough, no fever or very little fever. I saw, these whole 10 days, only two patients with fever. Also their oxygen saturation was normal."
Bec has previously been slammed for labelling Victorian Premier Dan Andrews as "Dictator Dan" during Melbourne's long lockdown, going so far as to wear a slogan tee that read "Free Melbourne".
The controversial tee unsurprisingly sparked a heated debate online, some slamming her ‘out of touch’ move, others applauding her for speaking her mind.
She also came under fire earlier this year for claiming a "small minority" of people were responsible for the outbreak.
"It’s so disappointing we find ourselves in this position because of a very small minority," she said.
"Bec Judd has been posting food and clothes she's been gifted this entire lockdown, and now wants to complain about living in a 'dictatorship' from her Brighton mansion," one Twitter user wrote. "Utterly tone-deaf."
"Calling the premier a dictator for implementing measures to save people’s lives, the very same measures any other premier would implement in the same circumstances is pretty crass at best of times, but when you have the means that she does it’s just privileged and insensitive," another user explained.
Some came to Bec’s defence, pointing out that having a privileged existence didn’t negate any feeling of frustration the former model might be feeling.
"What does owning a big house have to do with being sick of lockdowns?" one Twitter user wondered. "She still can’t leave it. Can’t see friends. Can’t see family exactly like the rest of us. I’m no Bec Judd fan but... the pile on here is ridiculous. Jealousy’s a curse."
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