5 reasons you should not deliberately catch Omicron to 'get it over with'

Despite many health care professionals' warnings, there are some who are talking about catching Omicron to 'get it over with,' and idea one doctor calls 'playing with dynamite.'

"Why not just get Omicron and get it over with? It's mild, right? And it can boost immunity?"

The fully vaccinated, boosted, well-educated friend who asked was sincere, echoing opinions heard on many social platforms.

The idea of intentionally trying to catch Omicron is "all the rage," said Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, with an exasperated sigh.

"It's caught on like wildfire," agreed Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director of the Havey Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.