More stringent restrictions may be needed to prevent coronavirus from overwhelming hospitals, scientists say.
While the research looked at the impact of introducing new restrictions on the Omicron wave, Dr Davies said tougher curbs were "terrible" for people's physical and mental wellbeing and needed to be carefully weighed up.
"However, our most pessimistic scenario suggests that we may have to endure more stringent restrictions to ensure the NHS is not overwhelmed."Nobody wants to endure another lockdown, but last-resort measures may be required to protect health services if Omicron has a significant level of immune escape or otherwise increased transmissibility compared to Delta."
The most uncertainty is still around how well the vaccines and boosters will keep people out of hospital. Dr Davies said he would like to see more mass testing with people using lateral flow tests "much more frequently than we're using them now".before going to crowded places or socialising this winter. Boxes of tests can be ordered for free online, or collected at a local pharmacy.
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