Dr Norman Swan has slammed Australian politicians for pushing what he deemed 'two Omicron myths' - that the strain is mild and that it can prevent reinfection.
Australia is enduring its highest infections rates and deaths since the pandemic began, with more than 88,000 new cases and 84 deaths on Wednesday alone - prompting the US government to warn Americans against travelling Down Under.
The ABC presenter cleared-up what he claimed were misconceptions perpetuated by politicians during an appearance on The Project on Wednesday.
Dr Swan said the new variant was not as mild as it was being made out to be, and that natural infection from Omicron does not provide as much protection as vaccination - meaning people can easily catch the virus again and again.
'There is this myth that this is a mild virus. You hear it all the time from politicians. It is not a mild virus,' the doctor told the panel.
Dr Swan told panellists that although it was an unpopular opinion, the world was far from pulling the curtain on the Covid-19 pandemic (pictured, Sydneysiders on Christmas Eve)
'Now, Delta was a virulent virus, yes, it is less virulent than Delta, but if you compare it to the Wuhan virus, it is just as virulent as that. That's why we're seeing deaths.'
He explained natural infection from Omicron 'does not seem to provide anything like what an immunisation gives', and would give little protection against future variants.
Dr Swan told The Project that although it was an unpopular opinion, the world was far from pulling the curtain on the Covid-19 pandemic - and that Australia had been too slow to react, leaving it with no supplies of rapid tests.
He warned Australians not to celebrate as some politicians claim Covid will soon become endemic - meaning a virus that is relatively constant in a population, and has predictable infection patterns.
Dr Norman Swan said the new variant was not as mild as it was being made out to be and that natural infection from Omicron does not provide as much protection as vaccination
'Smallpox was endemic. Nobody says that's a mild disease. Malaria is endemic in many countries. 'Influenza is endemic and it is not a harmless disease,' he said.
'Endemic does not mean it is harmless. This is an epidemic virus.'
He criticised politicians for simply 'letting it rip' and easing border controls and restrictions, saying it had actually hurt the economy by leading to thousands being stuck in isolation, as well as causing 'unnecessary deaths'.
Instead the top doctor said the country should have slowed things down in December to ensure hospitals were well-equipped for another variant.
He revealed the people who were dying with Covid were likely
