584 Covid-19 cases due to new variants

A total of 584 Covid-19 cases in Malaysia have been found to be due to new variants involving more widespread and faster as well as airborne transmission, says Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.

He said the new variants were detected through several precautionary measures for the threat of the Delta variant (B1617.2) including genome sequencing following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) statement that certain countries were threatened by the new variant.

“We found that there are threats of new variants in our country,” he said at a media conference on the development of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) with PICK coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin today.

Of the 584 cases recorded, 40 cases were of the Delta variant which is said to be more aggressive, while 136 were linked to the Beta (B.1.351) variant, 10 Alpha (B117), two B1525, four B161.7.14 and variants of concern amounting to 392 cases.

Adham said the health ministry would be carrying out continuous preventive and control activities based on the high incident rate in an area, with cases spreading quickly and involving deaths.

“We will create a genome sequence and from there we will know whether an individual got an infection from a new variant,” he said.

“It is also related to the vaccine administered. We have been informed that two doses are basic which should be implemented in the country so that immunisation and resistance against the new variants can be achieved.”