By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Dec 25: The local Omicron case in Kuching was traced to a 38-year-old Chinese national who has been working at an engineering company for three years and has had no history of travelling abroad throughout those years.
Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) senior consultant paediatrician Dr Ooi Mong How warned that this latest Covid-19 development signalled that the Omicron variant could have already spread in Kuching or the southern part of Sarawak for quite some time.
“Looking into the detailed information, the patient probably got infected around mid-December which is about 10 days to two weeks ago.
“This is something we need to be aware of as all three other cases were imported infections,” he said during Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng’s live session today.
According to Minister of Health Khairy Jamaluddin, the Chinese national underwent a Covid-19 test on Dec 18 after suffering from a fever and cough since Dec 13. The sample tested positive for Covid-19, and the patient was admitted to SGH on Monday.
The case samples were sent to the Institute of Health and Community Medicine (IHCM) at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) for genomic sequencing test before they were confirmed positive for the Omicron variant on Thursday (Dec 23).
Khairy said that the cause of infection has yet to be identified, and investigations are still ongoing by the Kuching Divisional Health Office.
He added that the patient is fully vaccinated and that his condition is stable, and that two of his close contacts have been identified.
Dr Ooi emphasised that while studies suggested that Omicron may be less severe, it spreads faster than previous variants, including Delta.
“Omicron may have the shortest incubation period of three days between exposure to the virus and symptoms, as compared to the original strain of about five to six days and four days for the Delta.
“Some also noted several other symptoms like short-term loss of taste and smell,” he added.
On how to differentiate Omicron symptoms, he pointed out that while Sarawak does not have conclusive local findings due to minimal cases, but global studies showed that Omicron arrives with symptoms distinct from earlier variants, which is more flu-like or like the common cold ― runny nose, headache, sore throat, sneezing, and fever.
With that, Dr Ooi urged the public to continue adhering to standard operating procedures (SOP) and get vaccinated immediately for those who have yet to do so, as well as set up an appointment to get their booster shot.
“These measures are important to protect every one of us, especially the vulnerable groups,” he reminded. — DayakDaily
