Malaysia Suspects First Local Omicron Case as Variant Spreads

(Bloomberg) --

Malaysia has a total of 62 cases of the omicron coronavirus variant, one of which is suspected to be the country’s first incident of local transmission, according to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

• The probable local case was reported in the Borneo state of Sarawak on Dec. 24 in a 38-year old Chinese national, Khairy said in a briefing on Saturday
• The individual has been working with a local engineering company for three years and hasn’t traveled abroad during that period; he has also been fully vaccinated
• The cause of the infection is not known and investigations are still ongoing, Khairy said
• New cases may climb in the coming weeks in view of the suspected local omicron case, and the government will next week announce the shortening of the booster shot interval to curb the spread of the new variant, he added
• About half of the 61 imported cases are from Saudi Arabia, followed by five from the U.K, four from Qatar and three from the U.S.
• The U.K, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Australia, France, Norway, India, Canada and Nigeria have high risk of omicron and travelers coming from these countries must wear a digital tracker: Khairy
• Malaysia’s local cases have plunged from a daily high of more than 22,000 in late August to about 3,500 this week. Still, imported cases -- most of them omicron -- have risen rapidly to about 100 daily since Wednesday, according to data from the health ministry
• The government’s attempts at managing the pandemic hit a speed bump after parts of peninsular Malaysia suffered the worst flooding in years last weekend; on Thursday, 15 positive cases were found among the victims seeking shelter at evacuation centers, taking the total to 405, the health ministry said
  • READ: Malaysia Premier Faces Twitter Backlash Over Flood Response (1)

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