ALOR STAR – The majority of individuals infected with the Omicron variant in Kedah are reported to have mild symptoms despite being unvaccinated.
According to the state Health Director Dr Othman Warijo, out of 10 cases detected over the past three weeks, three were in Category 1 (asymptomatic) and seven in Category 2 (mild symptoms).
Two carriers were said to have contracted the virus while in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on a haj pilgrimage before returning home and unduly spreading it to family and friends.
Omicron is now the most transmissible variant of Covid-19 given its fast-spreading nature across many countries, including in the United Kingdom and the United States.
In a text message to the media, Othman said eight patients have since been discharged from Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital in Sg Petani, while two remain warded.
Othman also revealed that only 25% of the state’s population have received their booster jabs in the past three months.
Kedah has a population of around 1.385 million.
“We want the adult population to go for their booster shots as it would be able to address concerns over the Delta and Omicron variants.”
Othman said while the number of new daily infections and death rates have declined over the past three months, the emergence of the Omicron variant has sparked uncertainty for the public health sector in Kedah.
“The trend is still uncertain following the emergence of the Delta and Omicron variants, so it is hard to predict when Malaysia will be able to shift to the endemic phase.”
There were 165,362 new Covid-19 cases recorded in Kedah last year, with the death toll at 2,549 deaths as of December 31.
In 2020, there were 3,024 new infection cases and 16 deaths.
He urged Kedahans to obey the standard operating procedures, including practising physical distancing in crowds, wearing masks diligently and maintainig proper sanitary habits. – The Vibes, January 6, 2022
Additional reporting by Aruldass Sinnappan
