Malaysia is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 Omicron variant infections, with daily cases expected to reach 15,000 soon, according to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
“One million older folks still do not get a booster dosage.”
“Please notify your loved ones to obtain a booster dosage as soon as possible,” he wrote in a tweet on Sunday (Feb 6).
Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, director-general of health, said in a tweet on Sunday (Feb 6) that 10,089 instances had been reported, bringing the total to 2,914,220.
In another tweet, Dr. Noor Hisham stated that if the infectivity level (R0) maintains at 1.2, daily Covid-19 cases might reach 22,000 by the end of March.
He did, however, say that Malaysia’s high vaccination coverage will keep Covid-19 infections at a manageable level.
“At the moment, if the Rt level is at 1.2, we anticipate 22,000 cases by the end of March 2022.”
“Nevertheless, with widespread vaccination coverage and booster doses, we can limit the severity of Covid-19 cases,” stated Dr. Noor Hisham in a tweet accompanied by a graphic depicting the expected Covid-19 cases.
According to Dr. Noor Hisham, the Malaysian people may help reduce infectivity by obtaining booster doses and following Covid-19 standard operating practises.
“As a result, the onus is on us to comply with all public health and social measures, as well as increase vaccination and booster shot coverage, in order to decrease transmission and down the Rt to less than one,” he tweeted.
Dr. Noor Hisham responded to a Twitter user by saying that Malaysia was “not out of the woods yet,” but that an increase in instances will likely be accompanied by fewer hospital admissions and fatalities.
“We’re still not out of the woods. It is up to us to band together and prepare for a surge of cases, but more crucially, we must anticipate a large number of cases with less severity, fewer hospitalisation, and less death,” he stated.
Fully into Omicron wave. Kes akan mencecah 15k tidak lama lagi. Masih ada 1 juta warga emas yang tiada dos penggalak. Tolong maklum kepada orang2 tua kesayangan anda untuk mendapat dos penggalak dengan segera. https://t.co/IAejbJNrHO
— Khairy Jamaluddin
Pictures by The Scientist Magazine, Bernama & Change