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KJ: Malaysia fully into Omicron wave

KUALA LUMPUR: Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today stressed the importance of obtaining the Covid-19 booster shot to fight the Omicron wave.

Stating that Malaysia was "fully into the Omicron wave", he cautioned that the number of new Covid-19 infections, which exceeded 10,000 today, could soon rise to 15,000.

He said a significant number of senior citizens had yet to get their booster shot.

"There are one million senior citizens who have yet to obtain their booster doses.

"Please inform your elders to get them quickly," he said on Twitter.

In a separate posting, Khairy pleaded with the public to seek their booster dose if they hadn't already done so, adding that the main reason of getting the vaccine was to reduce the severity of infection.

"Booster shots help prevent serious symptoms, which could lead to hospitalisation and intensive care unit (ICU) treatment," he said.

Data from the ministry's CovidNow portal suggested a wider booster coverage could lead to a reduction in hospitalisation rates.

On Saturday, the data showed that 91.8 per cent of adults in Sarawak had received both vaccine doses, and 71 per cent had taken the booster shot.

This has led to only 64 daily hospital admissions due to Covid-19, with a bed utilisation rate of just 13.7 per cent.

There are also only four cases in the state's ICUs.

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