Medical experts believe there could be contributing factors behind the rising rate of hospitalisation in the country.
A virologist from USM shares with us some reasons why this could happen.
Photo via mStar
“There might be a slight reduction in immunity in the elderly,” says Dr Kumitaa Theva Das.
“There are about 5% of adults still unvaccinated, vaccination for kids still have not been approved yet. There might also be a very small portion of those vaccinated who may still be at risk of infection due to the Delta strain.”
“As long as there is an unvaccinated population, there’s always a possibility for transmission and hospitalization to occur.”
This comes as the Ministry of Health (MOH) revealed last week that there was a 22% increase in hospitalization in the Klang Valley and a 16% surge in Sarawak.
Things are returning to normal, and many restrictions have been eased.
Are Malaysians taking things for granted?
Dr Kumitaa says this is not the case adding that we still have to go on about our daily routine, while practising health protocols.
Photo via The Straits Times
“Life does not go back to how it was in the pre covid days. A vaccinated person is still at risk of an infection and the person will most likely be asymptomatic yet still have a slight possibility of being able to pass the virus on.”
She also urged Malaysians not to blame the MOH, if there is a rise cases.
“The MOH successfully brought down the cases from almost 25,000 a day, to 5,000 a day through quick contact tracing, testing, isolation, and support.”
“They’ve also offered vaccinations to everyone through the vaccination centres (PPVs) set up across the country.”
The onus is now on us to keep the country safe from COVID-19, says Dr Kumitaa.
“When dining at restaurants we can opt for outdoors if there’s an option as it is safer due to better ventilation. We should only remove our masks only when our food has arrived. We should always double mask, wear a face shield, sanitise and avoid crowded places.”
“Self test should also be our norm especially after returning from a high-risk area, before travelling and if we’re working face-to-face.”
Photo via BERNAMA
As current developments showed increasing hospital admissions, the Health Ministry said it will ramp up its analysis and surveillance.
This as Malaysia reported 92 COVID-19 fatalities along with 4,782 cases.
By: Roshini Ravindran
