Don't Try To Intentionally Contract Omicron, CHOP Doctor Pleads

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The surge in COVID-19 cases has some fully vaccinated and boosted people wondering whether they should try to get omicron to just "get it over with."

Not so fast, says Dr. Paul Offit from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He says getting infected on purpose is like playing with dynamite.

Offit says omicron is not just a bad cold, it is a life-threatening disease.

There's also a chance you could get what's called long COVID, which can be debilitating.

You could easily spread the disease to children, many of whom are not yet vaccinated.

And you could stress the health care system, a system that is already stretched thin.

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