Same paper, same date; who to believe? Well, one of them's hiding something, the other isn't. Draw your own conclusion
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At least 16 Britons have been hospitalised with Omicron but health officials have yet to reveal patients' vaccination status or even if Covid is the reason they need care.
The continued lack of transparency prompted a fresh blast of fury, with one expert describing it as a scaremongering 'conspiracy of gloom'.
The UK Health Security Agency revealed that 16 patients were hospitalised with the mutant strain in England by December 14, and that one patient had died.
In an update to MPs of the Health and Social Care Committee, Britain's chief medical officer Chris Whitty said the real hospitalisation number will be 'much bigger than that' because of the time it takes to analyse positive tests for variants.
However, whether these individuals are vaccinated or not, and if Omicron is why there were in hospital or if it had been detected while they in care for another reason, remain unanswered questions.
Karol Sikora, a consultant oncologist and professor of medicine, said the nation had to right to know more and accused health officials of scaremongering.
'We have a right to know, they can't go scaring people like this without giving any information,' he said. 'They have a duty to put in the domain so doctors around the country can assess what is going on.
Professor Sikora, who helps care for people with cancer, argued there were real risks involved by letting speculation fill the gap and imaginations run wild.
In South Africa, the epicentre of the new variant, data suggests that up to three-quarters of patients counted as Covid hospital admissions were 'incidental' cases, meaning they tested positive after being admitted for a different reason.
