COVID-19 cases in Malaysia have been rising again and it’s all because of the new highly infectious subvariant, XBB!
Photo via Halodoc
Health director-general, Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah said the COVID-19 XBB subvariant is highly infectious and will most likely cause an increase in COVID-19 cases in November and December.
In a post he shared on his Facebook page, DG Hisham said that reinfections of the COVID-19 virus with this subvariant have increased to 17% compared to the Omicron variant which was 5%, and this predicted increase in cases is supported by the model predictions of projected daily cases in the next two months.
“The public are encouraged to use the face masks especially in crowded places and frequently wash their hands or use hand sanitizer.
“Please get a booster dose especially for those who are at high risk,” he said in the statement.
DG Hisham also said that the ministry will continue to monitor the trend of infections and the COVID-19 situation in the country.
According to The Star, Malaysia is currently experiencing a small wave of increased COVID-19 cases following the discovery of the Omicron XBB subvariant in the country.
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The Omicron XBB subvariant lineage was first detected in Singapore and the United States but has since spread to 35 other countries.
It is a recombinant lineage, meaning that it derives its genetic material from different lineages and variants.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there has been a broad increase in prevalence of XBB in regional genomic surveillance but has not yet been consistently associated with an increase in new infections.
Guys, please don’t be complacent. Take care of yourself and your loved ones and stay safe!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
