Covid cases still under control, says health minister

There is no need to panic as the number of Covid-19 cases in the country is still under control, says Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

She said the number of deaths due to Covid-19 was also still low, mostly involving the elderly and individuals with comorbidities.

She said while the transmission rate of the latest Omicron sub-variants was faster than the previous ones, it was still under control with no severe symptoms involved.

"The sub-variants that we have identified are XBB 1.5, XBB 1.16 and XBB 1.9.1. They are still the Omicron type," she said at a press conference after attending a town hall session on the health white paper in Kuala Lumpur today.

Meanwhile, she advised the public to wear face masks if they are experiencing any symptoms.
 
"We also encourage individuals with symptoms to do a screening test for Covid-19 as well as to wear a face mask, especially during the festive period when meeting with family and so on. If you have symptoms, avoid spreading the virus to the rest of the family," she said.

Meanwhile, in another development, she said 4,264 contract medical officers had been appointed to permanent positions as of yesterday.

On April 4, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that 12,800 of 20,330 contract doctors would be absorbed into permanent positions within three years, involving an additional allocation of RM1.7 billion.