KUALA LUMPUR – The stringent measures taken by the government to curb the rapid spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, including the suspension of umrah and possible second booster shots for Sinovac recipients, are justified and necessary to avoid overwhelming the public healthcare system, experts said.
These top minds in health and policy were responding to a backlash from certain segments of society that expressed disapproval over decisions taken by the Health Ministry.
However, experts warned that the steps being implemented may not be sufficient to stop a possible surge in infections in the coming months, what with the variant already in the community, and particularly if the public fails to adhere to the government’s strict protocols.
Speaking to The Vibes, The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive officer Azrul Mohd Khalib said the temporary suspension of umrah was clearly done to “pause and give time” to the country’s healthcare system to prepare against the potential spike in cases.
The unpopular move is also necessary to avoid a tidal wave of cases from this single point alone, he said, considering that more than 1,000 pilgrims recently tested positive for Covid-19, a large number of which were of the Omicron variant.
Umrah activity has single-handedly brought in more cases of Omicron in a short space of time compared with any other inbound movement. Omicron will definitely dominate the future caseload of Covid-19, but we cannot afford a tsunami of cases.
“This will happen if umrah is allowed to continue. This decision is based on epidemiology and guided by what we know of the disease. It is the right decision,” he said yesterday.
On the likelihood that Sinovac recipients may need more than one booster shot, Azrul said this was expected for inactivated vaccines, in order to provide adequate protection from serious disease and death.
According to the World Health Organisation, inactivated vaccines are made by taking the disease-carrying virus and inactivating it using chemicals, heat or radiation, which typically require multiple doses.
“What we didn’t expect was how quickly those boosters were going to be needed due to waning immunity levels among those vaccinated.
“But we must look at and follow what the science tells us, hence the need to deliver booster jabs and also prepare for more in the future as more variants emerge.”
Asked if the measures taken by the government so far have worked against Covid-19, Azrul said fewer hospitalisations and deaths compared with previous months prove the aggressive vaccination programme is working.
“However, this could be the lull before the storm of either Omicron or other variants. We have to be prepared for the next possible surge of cases due to variants,” he said.
On January 1, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin made a couple of announcements pertaining to the ministry’s plan to keep the Omicron variant in check, including temporarily suspending umrah activity from January 8, and expressing the possible need for a fourth booster shot for Sinovac recipients.
Measures to stall Omicron surge
A doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, similarly said measures like suspending umrah activity is much needed to buy the country time to make preparations, including expanding the vaccine booster programme, especially with many returning pilgrims being infected with Omicron.
The reason (of the temporary ban on umrah) is clear. It is to delay the impact of Omicron. But the bigger question and concern is: how long can we hold it off before we see a spike in infections like those being reported in many other countries?”
Asked if the government should consider banning all forms of international travel, he said it would already be too late to take such a drastic action when the variant is already in the community.
Beyond steps taken by the government, the doctor said the onus is also on the public to adhere to all public health measures for the country to have any chance of maintaining the current trend of cases between 2,000 and 3,000, as opposed to the 20,000-plus daily infections in the third quarter of last year.
“I understand the frustration of some (over the suspension of umrah activity), but are we at the point where we are ready to actually take our own precautions to avoid infection?
“If you look at countries with a high rate of booster doses, they are still suffering from the Omicron variant because the public is not adhering to SOPs (standard operating procedures).
“Until we learn to do that, we have to expect measures like these.”
Commenting on the need for more booster shots, the health practitioner said this is inevitable, seeing how the Covid-19 virus has mutated into different variants, meaning some existing vaccines may not work as efficiently against them. – The Vibes, January 5, 2022
