TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Infectious disease experts in Taiwan are warning against taking the Omicron variant of COVID-19 lightly as the country braces for a fresh wave of cases.

While the strain is known to cause mostly mild cases in many countries, its threat should not be underestimated as Taiwan lacks herd immunity with the absence of large-scale outbreaks, said Wang Fu-der (王復德), chief of Taipei Veterans General Hospital’s Department of Infection and president of Infection Control Society of Taiwan.

The rates of hospitalization, severe diseases, and mortalities induced by Omicron may seem relatively low in some countries, but this is because people in these countries have developed antibodies from natural infections or vaccinations, Wang cautioned. He added those who have not been inoculated or the high-risk groups could still fall seriously ill should they become infected.

Those deemed vulnerable include the pregnant, people with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular, renal, pulmonary, or liver diseases, and seniors aged 65 or above.

These people are advised to take antiviral medications within the first five days of the onset of symptoms and the Taiwanese public must not be complacent by shrugging off the risk of infection, said Chen Yee-chun (陳宜君), director of National Taiwan University Hospital’s Center for Infection Control and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of Taiwan.

Among the more than 51,000 cases reported between Jan. 1 and April 27, 99.7% are asymptomatic or mild ones. About 79.96% of the population have been fully vaccinated, with 58.87% having received a booster dose as of April 27, according to a COVID-19 Dashboard.