THE RATE of Covid-19 infections in the country is currently under control with the flow of patients being admitted to hospital and deaths still low.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said that currently no new variants have been detected entering the country, and the Omicron variant and some of its sub-variants are still being spread in Malaysia.
He said that the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported that most of the cases of Covid-19 reported in Malaysia are showing mild symptoms and do not require hospital treatment.
"For the epidemic week of December 17 to 23, the hospital admission rate of patients suffering from Covid-19 was 0.5 percent and the death rate was 0.08 percent.
“This means that the rate for these two parameters remains at a low level,” he said.
"Until now, no new variant has been detected in Malaysia. The variant that is spreading in Malaysia is still the Omicron variant, with its subvariants XBB.1.16, XBB.1.5, EG.5 and including JN.1.”
The Omicron subvariant that is spreading is known not to cause more severe cases, he stressed in a statement today.
Dr Dzulkefly said that like other respiratory viruses, including influenza, Covid-19 will continue to remain in the public sphere in Malaysia and people will have to live with this viral infection.
Therefore, he said, the public is advised to always observe a balance in terms of health and livelihood (life and livelihood) when there is an increase in cases of infectious infections.
He said that vulnerable groups such as the elderly, individuals with chronic diseases, individuals with low immunity are also highly encouraged to wear face masks when in crowded places or using public transport.
Dr Dzulkefly called on the public to continue being responsible in practising self-care, including wearing of face mask when the need arises, doing TRIIS (Test, Report, Isolate, Inform, Seek), and updating one’s status on the MySejahtera app.
They are also advised to protect those who are vulnerable, obtain accurate and authentic information on cases of respiratory tract infections, including Covid-19, from sources that can trusted.
"MoH will continue to monitor the situation of Covid-19 and related variants from time to time.
"With the commitment from all walks of life, the Covid-19 situation in this country will remain under control," he said.
TRIIS is a practice promoted among the people to detect and control the spread of Covid-19 in the country.
Previously, Dr Zulkefly was reported to have said that the number of Covid-19 cases for the epidemic week of December 17 to 23 showed an increase to 22,413 cases compared to 17,307 cases recorded in the previous week, marking a rise of 29.5%.
He said that during the same period, the number of Covid-19 deaths was reported to have decreased by 23.1 percent, from 26 to 20 deaths.
However, Dr Dzulkefly said, the number of infection cases is expected to decrease next month. – The Vibes, 29 December 2023
