By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Jan 8: There are over 30 presumptive Omicron cases in Sarawak in addition to the seven confirmed cases as of Jan 6, warns Deputy Chief Minister Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian.
He said the presumptive Omicron samples were collected from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, and experts need at least three to four weeks to run genome sequencing to confirm them.
“(This is) not just the beginning of the local community spread of Covid-19 Omicron, but an Omicron surge, due to its extremely infectious nature,” he said in a social media post yesterday.
He believed there could be an increase in infected patients in coming weeks though the symptoms would be less severe.
Panic would not help, he said, and all variants are still Covid-19 so the basic standard operating procedures (SOPs) remain effective in preventing infection and transmission.
On Jan 6, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced seven confirmed Omicron cases in Sarawak, involving three families.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) also reported 44 more imported Omicron cases in Malaysia, pushing the cumulative number to 245 as of Jan 6. — DayakDaily
