Alamak, please don’t be complacent and always remember to follow SOPs!
Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin said that there is a high possibility of an Omicron wave starting in Malaysia, such as seen in other countries around the world.
Photo via The Star
The Health Minister said that extensive booster dose coverage, wearing face masks, good ventilation, implementing TRIIS which is Test, Report, Isolate, Inform and Seek, activating the MySejahtera Trace system and international gateway control were among the measures to slow the transmission of the highly infectious COVID-19 variant.
Although some argued that Omicron is less severe than the Delta variant, Khairy said Omicron is indeed more infectious than Delta and would still put a strain on the health system and facilities if transmissions increase.
“Like other countries, it is very likely that the Omicron wave will start in Malaysia.
“Some refer to Omicron impact data not as severe as Delta. It looks like that. But the infectiousness of Omicron is higher than Delta. If the case denominator is larger, definitely hospitalisation and ICU use will go up,” he said.
Khairy also added that the Health Ministry wants to avoid crippling the public health system.
Meanwhile, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah in a tweet stated that the national infectivity rate of COVID-19 on Saturday (January 1st) is currently at 0.99, an increase from 0.98 from the day before.
Keep yourself and your loved ones safe! Remember to always follow SOPs, wear a facemask when you’re out in public, wash your hands regularly and maintain physical distancing.
Stay safe, everyone!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
