KUCHING, Nov 1: Sarawak is still free of the XBB Covid-19 subvariant as of the end of September with Omicron BA.5 the dominant strain driving reinfections.
Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas also gave assurance that surveillance is still ongoing by the Institute of Health and Community Medicine (IHCM) in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).
“The institute has been tracking the SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in Sarawak as a part of a national surveillance programme,” he said in a statement today after receiving the latest Covid-19 positive cases and surveillance report from IHCM director Prof Dr David Perera here today.
According to Dr Perera, a total of 463 samples obtained from positive cases Statewide were successfully sequenced from July 14 to Sept 27 this year.
He said all were tested for the B.1.1.529 Omicron Variant of Concern (VOC).
“From these, a total of 402 samples were detected as the BA.5, three cases of the BA.4.1 (two cases from Kuching and one from Sibu), and 58 cases of the BA.2 which included three cases of the BA.2.75 sub-lineages (one case from Kuching and two from Sibu).
“No case of the highly resistant BA.2.75.2 sub-lineage was detected,” he reported.
As such, since the last surveillance report in July, Dr Perera said that Omicron BA.5 has now emerged as the most dominant SARs-CoV-2 variant circulating in Sarawak.
“It accounted for approximately 97 per cent of all positive cases recorded in September.”
Dr Perera strongly advised the public to be aware of the heightened risk of increase in infection rates in the State.
“Please consider getting a booster dose if you have not done so particularly for individuals with comorbidities, those above 50-years-old and those who had previously received only a single dose of the mRNA vaccine,” he emphasised. — DayakDaily
