GEORGE TOWN – Malaysians must keep their guard up and be ready to face a second wave of Covid-19’s Omicron variant, even as masks will no longer be mandatory for use outdoors starting May 1, an expert has said.
Prof Dr Sanjay Rampal, a public health specialist and professor of epidemiology at the University of Malaya, said current data shows the first wave of Omicron is already on the downtrend in Malaysia, but warned that his analysis of other countries indicate that it will be followed by a second, albeit smaller, wave.
“Currently, Malaysia is still at the first wave and there is a likelihood of another wave coming no matter what we do,” he told The Vibes.
“Herd immunity is an illusion because Covid-19 is here to stay.”
However, Sanjay said the government’s decision to relax its mask mandate and stop mandatory check-ins at premises using contact tracing app MySejahtera was appropriate and timely, as the vaccines are currently highly effective.
He said masks should only be made compulsory in areas of high-risk transmission, such as highly congested areas with the likelihood of the virus being present such as hospitals and clinics.
Consultant paediatrician Datuk Dr Amar-Singh HSS agreed that mask-wearing should continue to be the norm in crowded locations such as wet markets and shopping venues, which can carry significant risks of Covid-19 transmission.
“While we need to revive the economy and take every measure to keep our children in school, we however must not sacrifice safety,” he said.
“Hospital admissions and mortality among our unprotected children remain small, but we must not ignore the implications of long Covid-19 both for them and even for vaccinated adults.
“Available data suggests that the risk of long Covid-19 may result in a significant long-term health burden, and we need to discuss this more in the media and address it adequately.”
Amar said the government must also take steps to improve indoor ventilation to further minimise the risk of Covid-19 transmission, especially in high traffic areas such as workplaces, schools and shopping malls.
Penang Medical Practitioners’ Society president Datuk Dr Tan Kah Keong reminded Malaysians that the country is still in a transitional stage towards endemicity of the virus, and that the rate of the transition will differ between locations.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that masks will no longer be mandatory for use outdoors effective May 1. However, masks will still need to be worn indoors.
MySejahtera check-ins will also be abolished come Labour Day, though he urged the public to turn on their MySJ Trace function within the application. The same rule applies to unvaccinated individuals. – The Vibes, April 30, 2022
