Popular Science recently interviewed Sam S. Torbati, MD, co-chair and medical director of Emergency Medicine at the Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department at Cedars-Sinai, about why a healthy vaccinated person should care about the omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Early data has shown that the omicron variant generally causes a milder illness than the other versions of the virus, leading to lower rates of hospitalization or admissions to intensive care units, shorter hospital stays and fewer deaths. But Torbati cautioned that vaccinated or otherwise healthy people shouldn’t let their guard down because they can spread COVID-19 to others who will suffer a more severe illness.

"We need to be cautious in not celebrating this … this disease is still a major problem and it’s going to continue to have a significant impact for populations that are at high risk," Torbati told Popular Science.

He explained that it's still important for young, healthy people to get vaccinated for their own health and to protect their loved ones who are older or have risk factors for severe disease.  

Torbati, who is an associate professor of Emergency Medicine, said that everyone must play a role in protecting their community.

"Everybody is responsible for managing and doing their part with this pandemic, and nobody can say, 'Oh, it's not going to affect me, it's not my problem,'" Torbati told Popular Science. "It's the entire world’s problem … and the entire population needs to step up."

Click here to read the complete article from Popular Science.