KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia has recorded what is believed to be its first locally transmitted Covid-19 case of the highly infectious Omicron variant.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said this means the possibility of the variant already being in the community at large is now very high, with the ministry projecting a spike in cases in the coming weeks.
Speaking at a press conference, Khairy said that yesterday, the Institute for Medical Research confirmed 45 new Omicron Covid-19 cases, while Sarawak has identified four.
The latest figure takes the cumulative number of Omicron infections to 62, of which one is believed to be most likely locally transmitted within the community.
Khairy said this involved a 38-year-old Chinese citizen working in an engineering firm in Sarawak with no history of overseas travel in the past three years.
The individual tested positive on December 18 and was placed under quarantine in Sarawak General Hospital two days later, before genomic sequencing confirmed his case to be of the Omicron variant on December 23.
“With the news of the community case in Sarawak, there will be a spike in cases in the next few weeks. By how much and how severe, that we don’t know yet,” he said today.
Khairy said of the 49 new Omicron cases detected yesterday, 30 of those involved travellers from Saudi Arabia who are returning home after performing their umrah.
He revealed that based on initial investigation, many of these individuals also ignored quarantine standard operating procedures (SOPs), including to isolate themselves in the room and not accept any visitors.
“We found that upon their return home, they mixed with their families and met with neighbours. This is serious. We have given home quarantine, and you must obey it.”
Other than the cases from Saudi Arabia, Khairy said the remaining Omicron infections are travellers from the United Kingdom (five), Qatar (four), United States (three), Nigeria (two), and one each from Turkey, Italy, United Arab Emirates, and Ghana, and one local transmission.
As a preventive measure, Khairy said, the Health Ministry strongly advises individuals planning to travel overseas to get their booster shots prior to leaving.
The ministry will also shorten the waiting interval between the second dose and the booster shot for all individuals, with an announcement to be made next week.
Meanwhile, Khairy said Indonesia has yesterday revealed that one of its citizens who had just returned from Malaysia has been confirmed to be positive for the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
The individual had been in immigration detention in Semenyih since September, and tested negative for the virus upon entry to the centre and during arrival in Indonesia on December 10.
He took a second test six days later, and was confirmed positive on December 21. Khairy said the ministry is still investigating if the individual contracted Omicron in Malaysia.
On the projection by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent global health research centre, that Malaysia could see 300,000 Omicron cases by the end of January, Khairy said the Health Ministry has yet to make its own prediction on the severity of the variant.
“Much will depend on our analysis with cases that we have identified, the close contacts, and the category of infection. It’s too early for us to project what will happen in Malaysia.
“But based on what's happening in other countries, we know it (Omicron) is more transmissible,” he said. - The Vibes, December 25, 2021
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