KUALA LUMPUR – The incidence rate among those who contracted Covid-19 is more than three times higher for the unvaccinated, compared to immunised individuals, said Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
The health director-general said between November 1 and December, there were 36.2 infections per 1,000 individuals who had yet to receive their jabs.
For Sinovac recipients, Dr Noor Hisham said 11.6 infections were recorded per 1,000 individuals, four months after they completed their second dose of the vaccine.
This was followed by AstraZeneca recipients, in which the Health Ministry logged 7.1 cases for the same number of the population.
He suggested that Pfizer recipients are the least likely to be infected, as there were only 6.5 infections seen per 1,000 individuals.
“It is evident that the rate (of infections) is higher among those who have not been vaccinated, that is 36.2 (cases) per 1,000 residents compared to those who have been vaccinated,” he said in a Twitter post.
The posting came with an accompanying infographic, which indicated that immunity against Covid-19 wanes over time.
Based on the Real-World Effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines under the Malaysia National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme report, the infographic indicated that the risk of infection with the Omicron variant is four times greater than the prevalent Delta variant.
Hence, booster shots are recommended to enhance immunity.
Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said Malaysia logged 3,510 fresh Covid-19 infections today, bringing the cumulative number to 2,731,713.
He added that the country also recorded 4,998 recoveries, pushing the total discharged to 2,652,585 while 329 cases were currently under intensive care, with 179 requiring breathing assistance.
He said 95 of the new cases today are imported, 80 of which are Malaysian citizens and 15 foreigners.
The ministry’s CovidNow website listed 29 deaths, including six brought-in-dead cases.
Of the 3,510 new cases today, Dr Noor Hisham said 3,451 (98.3%) are in categories 1 and 2, and only 59 cases (1.7%) are in categories 3, 4, and 5.
Dr Noor Hisham added the country has seen a total of 6,094 clusters, including six clusters today.
Clusters that have ended are at 5,893, leaving 231 active.
On the flood situation, he said the ministry has recorded 390 Covid-19 cases from a total of 61,264 affected by the disaster.
He added that the ministry did not record any new cases at any one of the 384 temporary flood relief centres in Kelantan, Pahang, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Perak, Kuala Lumpur, and Melaka.
However, he said the ministry has logged 180 cases of other infectious diseases at the centres as of today.
Dr Noor Hisham added that 80 of the cases were acute respiratory tract infections, 57 were skin infections, 42 involved food poisoning, and one was of conjunctivitis. – The Vibes, December 23, 2021
