A key British scientist who advises the UK government made waves earlier this week when he said that Omicron is “not the same disease we were seeing a year ago,” and that high COVID death rates are “now history,” according to the Guardian.

Sir John Bell, who was born in Canada but has been one of Britain’s most prominent life scientists for years, made the comments while explaining why the British government would not be instituting additional holiday restrictions in response to the Omicron variant.

Bell is currently a professor of medicine at Oxford and an adviser to the British government on life sciences. He was awarded a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 2015 for his work in medical science and the life sciences industry.

Bell conceded that hospitalizations had increased marginally under Omicron in Britain, but said that Omicron “appears to be less severe and many people spend a relatively short time in hospital.” Bell also stated that patients who are hospitalized are needing high-flow oxygen support much less often and are only staying an average of three days.