KUALA LUMPUR – Sewage on aircraft inbound from China will be tested for Covid-19 as part of Malaysia’s measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, following Beijing’s move to reopen borders and allow mass travel, the Health Ministry said.
As for travellers, those arriving from China at international ports of entry will be screened for fever and asked to self-declare their symptoms.
Those with symptoms will be referred to quarantine centres or a health facility for further examination and Covid-19 testing, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said in a statement on Twitter today.
“Surveillance at international ports of entry will be strengthened by taking samples of sewage from aircraft coming from China. The wastewater samples will be sent to the National Public Health Laboratory for PCR testing, and for genome sequencing if Covid-19 positivity is detected,” Dr Zaliha said in the statement.
Passengers from China with fever or other symptoms will be examined further. “If Covid-19 is suspected, a Covid-19 test will be conducted,” she added.
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Memperkukuh Kesiapsiagaan Malaysia Berikutan Situasi Semasa Dan Perubahan Polisi Pengurusan COVID-19 Di Negara China pic.twitter.com/ZLaGCpDGu5
It was reported earlier that Dr Zaliha and top ministry officials had met to decide on travel restrictions for arrivals from China, following the country’s move to end its zero-Covid-19 policy.
From January 8, China is also lifting mandatory testing and quarantine on travellers entering the country, only requiring a negative pre-departure test 48 hours before arrival.
Dr Zaliha also said that the ministry is monitoring for the emergence of new Covid-19 variants here among all patients with influenza-like illnesses and severe acute respiratory infections who seek treatment at healthcare facilities and who have a 14-day prior history of travel to China.
Patients who have also had contact history with recent travellers to China are similarly monitored. If they are Covid-19 positive, their samples will undergo genomic sequencing.
The minister said as of December 24, most Covid-19 infections in Malaysia are of the Omicron variant (66.17%), followed by the Delta variant (32.69%). The Beta and Alpha variants make up 1.06% and 0.08% of cases, respectively.
She said Malaysia is not seeing a spike in cases and that the situation is under control thanks to widespread vaccination.
She reiterated the ministry’s call for those who had yet to get their booster shots to do so.
The minister has also extended the declaration of infected local areas for Malaysia until June 30, from its original expiry on December 31. The extension was gazetted on December 27 under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Declaration of Infected Local Areas) Order 2020. – The Vibes, December 30, 2022
