Experts bullish on M'sians’ readiness for transition to endemic phase

KUALA LUMPUR – Tomorrow, Malaysia will begin transitioning to the endemic phase of Covid-19 with the reopening of the country’s borders.

After two years of battling the pandemic, Malaysians are starting to return to their normal lifestyles, albeit under new norms by having to adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs), such as the mask mandate.

With the transition to endemicity, restrictions previously imposed to curb the spread of the virus have been eased, paving the way for most activities including prayer gatherings to be held as normal.

But are Malaysians ready to embrace the endemic phase?               

Occupational health, emergency and public health expert Dr Hanafiah Bashirun from Hospital Kasih Cyberjaya said there are two groups of people, one still seriously bothered by the Covid-19 threat and another which cannot wait to enjoy greater freedom. 

He said Malaysians generally preferred more freedom and are willing to accept this new phase in their life.

“For me, the Malaysian mentality won’t change. In fact, they are happy to accept this freedom rather than being trapped in the restrictions,” he said today.

However, he cautioned on the importance for Malaysians to be responsible in adhering to SOPs to ensure that the infection rate is kept at a minimum.

Asked on the possibility of new variants emerging after the Omicron strain, Dr Hanafiah said there is a chance that humans have already developed natural herd immunity against the virus, with vaccination providing added protection.

He said people need not worry too much about new variants as the government has drawn up plans to deal with a possible surge in cases in the future.

“Once the government allows us to be in the endemic (phase), they actually are ready for the worst-case scenario. It means the government has contingency plans,” he said.

Senior lecturer and epidemiologist from Universiti Putra Malaysia associate professor Dr Malina Osman said the main criterion for transitioning to the endemic phase is the country’s ability to handle cases.

Dr Malina, who is also a public health expert, said as long as Malaysia’s healthcare system is not compromised, it will be able to function optimally in dealing with new cases to safeguard the health of the people.

She said it depends on the people whether they are ready to move into the new phase or not, as the situation in an endemic phase is relatively different from a pandemic, in terms of the risk of infection.

“They (government) will make some preparations for that (handling new cases), particularly when we have to protect those who are not able to be vaccinated, so that will be very important,” she said.

Furthermore, she opined that the Covid-19 situation in the country has been well controlled recently, in contrast to the problems caused by the Delta wave of the virus.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on March 8 announced that the country would be entering the ‘Transition to Endemic’ Phase from April 1 as the country transitions to returning to an almost normal lifestyle after two years of fighting the pandemic.

He said the transition phase is a temporary measure before the country could fully enter the endemic phase, subject to an announcement by the World Health Organisation. – Bernama, March 31, 2022