By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Jan 4: Sarawak needs to brace for a possible Omicron-led Covid-19 surge expected in the coming weeks, and the people have been advised to take their booster shots for protection.
Minister for Public Health, Housing, and Local Government Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian warned that Sarawak could see a surge in Omicron cases two to four weeks after the heavily mutated and fast-spreading variant made it onto our shores on Dec 17.
“We also need to keep a very close eye on ‘DelMicron’ (Delta plus Omicron), looking at the many countries impacted by the latest wave of the pandemic (where Delta surge is ongoing and adding an Omicron surge).
“But even if Omicron proves milder on the whole than the Delta variant, as observed from overseas patterns, the sheer numbers (of cases) could still overwhelm our healthcare facilities and disrupt the essential services sector (if many people are infected),” he said in statements posted on his social media last night.
Sarawak immigration autonomy, Dr Sim pointed out, has played a crucial role in Sarawak’s fight against Covid-19, especially in delaying various waves of the pandemic in the State.
“It has allowed us time to prepare ourselves (to respond to the pandemic impact) and prevent us from suffering the same fate of other countries like the United States (as well as) the rest of Malaysia and Sabah,” he added.
As the next few weeks will be critical, Dr Sim, formerly Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) advisor, remained cautiously optimistic on the reopening of the economy with Sarawak entering Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) which began yesterday.
He was relieved that Sarawak had passed 14 days without seeing a surge in Covid-19 cases post-election, which has enabled the State to transition into NRP Phase 4 successfully.
With that, he continued to urge people to get their booster shots because once the pace of the spread picks up, its upsurge would be extremely fast.
Thanking fellow Sarawakians, both in and out of the State for their understanding and putting up with the many inconveniences, Dr Sim commended that their cooperation had saved many Sarawakian lives from Covid-19 deaths.
“This is truly the Sarawak spirit of solidarity in our war against Covid-19,” he said.
Meanwhile, as of Dec 24, there were three imported Omicron cases, and one locally transmitted Omicron case detected in Sarawak, which has set the alarm off on possible community transmission.
Christmas and New Year celebrations were called off out of fear of another wave. People have been continuously reminded to be vigilant, exercise caution, and take steps to protect themselves by strictly adhering to standard operating procedures (SOP). — DayakDaily
