Wanting To Catch Omicron , and 'Get it Over With?', Think Again.br Are you considering catching the Omicron variant of coronavirus purposely to get it br over with once and for all?.br Experts advise against this.br Here are a few reasons why purposely catching COVID-19 is an unwise decision:.br It's Morebr Than a br Bad Cold.br Even mild cases of the Omicron variant could debilitate you for days, health officials say.br Though the Omicron variant is br much milder than Delta, br experts say catching it on purpose is still br like "playing with dynamite.".br It's just less severe. But you don't have a 0 chance of dying. You should never want br to get infected. , Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center br at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, via CNN.br Long br COVID.br Long COVID is a peculiar phenomenon br brought on by the pandemic. .br Symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue and brain fog are often br associated with the condition.br We're still trying to understand long COVID. Because we don't understand it, I wouldn't be so quick to want to get an infection from a natural virus. , Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center br at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, via CNN.br Overcrowded br Hospitals.br Per the U.S. Department of Health br and Human Services, almost a br quarter of the nation's hospitals have now reported a "critical staff shortage.".br The health care system is not just designed to take care of people with COVID. , Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University School of Public Health, via CNN.br It's designed to take care of kids with appendicitis and people who have heart attacks and get into car accidents, Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University School of Public Health, via CNN.br And all of that is going to be much, much more difficult because we have a large proportion of the population that is not vaccinated, Dr.