Omicron Wave In M'sia Expected To Peak By End Of March

Omicron wave in M’sia to peak by end of March

Many of us continue to keep our eyes peeled for daily Covid-19 case reports, as our country is now facing an Omicron wave with an uptick in infections in recent days. On Tuesday, 8th February 2022, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) reported 13,944 new Covid-19 positive cases.

Of this total number, 99.48% were in categories 1 and 2 – having mild to no Covid-19 symptoms.

With daily Covid-19 cases expected to surpass 22,000 by the end of March in our country, Malaysians are urged to get their vaccine booster shots as soon as possible to double up on protection against the virus.

Daily positive cases expected to reach 22,000

Omicron wave cases
Image credit: Noor Hisham Abdullah

On Monday, 7th February, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin revealed that the Omicron wave of Covid-19 in Malaysia will peak by end-March, as reported by Malay Mail.

Since 6th February, our country has recorded five-digit Covid-19 figures for three consecutive days.

On 6th February, daily positive cases surpassed the 10,000-mark for the first time since 2nd October 2021 – a total of 10,089 cases were reported by KKM. This was followed by 11,034 cases on 7th February, and 13,944 on 8th February.

Khairy, who spoke to reporters on Tuesday, said that this uptrend is expected to continue until the end of March, when daily positive cases are expected to reach 22,000. Likewise, Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah also shared on his official Twitter account on 6th February that cases in Malaysia are expected to reach 22,000 by end-March.

Get your booster shots as soon as possible

Covid-19 vaccination in Malaysia
Image credit: KEMENTERIAN KESIHATAN MALAYSIA

In order to control the spread and flatten the curve of infection, the Health Ministry is urging Malaysians to take their booster shots of the Covid-19 vaccine to maintain protection against the virus.

Senior citizens aged 60 and over, as well as Sinovac vaccine recipients over 18 years of age, who do not get their booster shots by 1st March 2021 will lose their ‘fully vaccinated’ status. This will see a loss of access to privileges currently in place for fully vaccinated individuals.

Meanwhile, Khairy also urged employers to implement the work from home or rotation system for employees. The public is also urged to take their booster shots if they have not already done so, and conduct self tests before meeting with friends.

Omicron wave in M’sia to peak in March 2022

As daily positive cases are once again on the rise, it’s important for all of us to adhere to guidelines set out by the Health Ministry. This includes getting the recommended booster shots to continue to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe against the virus.

While it’s relieving to know that the vast majority of recent cases fall under mild to asymptomatic categories, we should continue to abide to Covid-19 safety measures to help lower the rate of transmission in our communities.