KUCHING, Dec 30: Screenings will be conducted on all incoming travellers, including those from China, and travellers showing fever or symptoms or through self-declaration will be referred to quarantine centres or health authorities for re-examination and tested for Covid-19 if needed.
Minister of Health Dr Zaliha Mustafa announced this as the Ministry of Health (MOH) has stepped up its preparedness and response to deal with a possible hike in the number of daily Covid-19 cases and deaths given the growing concerns over the surge of Covid-19 infections in China which is set to reopen its borders from Jan 8, 2023.
“Apart from that, surveillance at international entry gates will be enhanced with the collection of wastewater samples from planes coming from China, where they will be sent for PCR test and genome sequencing if tested positive for Covid-19.
“To improve detection of any new variants, all cases of influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) in healthcare facilities and with a travel history to China in the last 14 days, or with any contact with individuals with a travel history to China in the last 14 days, will be tested with RTK-Ag Covid-19 test and then genome sequencing if they are found positive with Covid-19,” she said in a statement today.
Dr Zaliha emphasised that precautionary measures were taken considering the risks of Covid-19 infection spreading from foreign countries to Malaysia.
Sharing a report from the World Health Organisation (WHO), she said a high number of 148,659 Covid-19 cases and 442 deaths was recorded in China in epidemiology week 50 (Dec 11 to 17, 2022).
“As of Dec 24, 2022, the majority of SARS-CoV-2 variants detected in Malaysia are Omicron (66.17 per cent), followed by Delta (32.69 per cent), Beta (1.06 per cent), and Alpha (0.08 per cent).
“Of the cumulative Omicron variant cases detected, 61.6 per cent are from the BA.5.2 subvariant and 10.8 per cent from XBB.1 subvariant and three cases from BF.7 subvariant,” she said.
In addition, Dr Zaliha added that Malaysia’s status as an “infected local area”, which would end on Dec 31, 2022, has been extended until June 30, 2023.
“The extension is to facilitate the MOH’s efforts to prevent and handle Covid-19 infections under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures Within Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2022, which stipulates measures under the National Recovery Plan during the country’s transition phase to endemic.
“This extension was gazetted on Dec 27, 2022, through the Prevention and Control Of Infectious Diseases (Declaration of Infected Local Areas) (Extension of Operation) (No. 2) Regulations 2022,” she said. — DayakDaily
