Penang confirms its first two Omicron cases

GEORGE TOWN – Penang has detected its first two Omicron variant cases after two residents here tested positive for the highly transmissible strain of Covid-19 upon returning from Saudi Arabia on December 16 and 17, respectively.

Both cases, said to be haj pilgrims from Mecca, had their infections confirmed on December 19 after mandatory tests were conducted on them.

State exco for public health Dr Norlela Ariffin confirmed this in a Facebook post and has since urged the public to be vigilant against Covid-19.

The emergence of Omicron in Penang also coincided with the warnings from Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin that the variant is present in communities in view of the possibility that quarantine orders may not have been strictly observed by some quarters.

Norlela urged residents to observe the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of staying away from crowds, maintain physical distancing where possible, taking sanitisation measures and being fully masked in public areas – including eateries – unmasking only when consuming food or drinks.

Meanwhile, a check of the official Covid-19 information portal revealed a disturbing trend of deaths rising by 50% in the past 14 days in Penang.

While hospitalisations have gone down by 30% and total cases by 14%, Norlela warned that the virus remains present in the state.

There are 3,010 active cases here, of which 92.3% are under home quarantine and 0.3% (or eight persons) are on ventilation.

Yesterday, 247 new cases were reported in Penang along with three deaths, of which two were brought in dead.

Private doctors here have urged residents to be on guard as it is easy to become complacent in view of the number of people entering the state.

Penang Medical Practitioners’ Society president Dr Parmjit Singh reminded the public that continued testing and vaccination remain the best weapons against Covid-19.

As of noon today, 85% of the state’s population are fully vaccinated (double dosed), placing Penang third after Selangor and Putrajaya. – The Vibes, December 27, 2021