KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry's genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 from August 2021 to January, this year found 80 per cent swab samples examined were infected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said Malaysia began to experience a surge in Covid-19 cases in epidemiological week six (EW6/2022) with 115,032 cases (an increase of 167 per cent) compared to 43,062 cases logged in EW 5/2022.
"Up to Feb 19, 2022, the country reported a total 950 Omicron cases, comprising 764 imported infections and 186 locally transmitted cases," he said in a statement today.
The ministry's data (from Aug 2021 to Jan 2022) showed that Delta remained the dominant variant in Malaysia until November 2021.
Omicron began to dominate infections in December when almost 50 per cent of the 1,679 samples collected for genomic surveillance involved the variant.
In January, this year, of the 1,244 swab samples taken, 80 per cent were infected with Omicron and only 20 per cent carried the Delta variant.
Dr Noor Hisham said the Omicron variant cases were reported by several institutions, namely: the ministry's Institute for Medical Research (IMR); Institute of Health and Community Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (IHCM-Unimas); Malaysia Genome & Vaccine Institute (MGVI); Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre, Universiti Malaya (TIDREC, UM); UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI-UKM); Integrative Pharmacogenomics Institute, Universiti Teknologi Mara (Promise, UiTM); Hospital Pengajar Universiti Putra Malaysia (HP-UPM); Hospital Universiti Sans Malaysia (USM); Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS); and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia - Kuantan.
He said although the Omicron variant causes symptoms and milder complications than other variants, the ministry had to implement some comprehensive measures to contain the spread.
"Among the measures taken were community empowerment in controlling and preventing Covid-19 by improving self-care, SOPs and optimisation of Covid-19 Assessment Centre (CAC) services nationwide for categories 1 and 2a patients by improving virtual capacities for CACs.
"The ministry also improved hospital readiness to treat category 2b patients and above as well as increase Covid-19 vaccination coverage among adults and children."
Dr Noor Hisham said patients in category 2A would experience mild symptoms, which include sore throat or flu without fever or shortness of breath, cough without fever or shortness of breath, loss of sense of taste but still comfortable eating, loss of sense of smell, diarrhoea twice or less in 24 hours, nausea and vomiting, and fatigue and muscle pain but could still perform daily activities.
While category 2B patients, he said would experience moderate symptoms like prolonged fever for two days and more or having fever again after recovering, difficulty breathing when doing activities (exertional dyspnoea), chest pain, unable to eat or drink, fatigue worsens especially during daily activities or when waking up from sleep, need help to walk, cough, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea worsen or persist, brain fog, and confusion.
Malaysia reported its first Omicron variant case on Dec 3, 2021 (EW 48/2021) involving a foreign traveller from South Africa.
Since then, Dr Noor Hisham said the Omicron variant has spread rapidly among the community overtaking the Delta variant.
"Omicron variant cases in December 2021 were detected from the International Gateway only, however the situation changed in January 2022 which saw local transmissions of Omicron variant in almost all states."
South Africa reported the first Omicron case to the World Health Organisation on Nov 24, 2021 from test specimens taken on Nov 9, 2021.
The Omicron variant with 32 mutations on this spike protein has spread rapidly throughout the world.
On Nov 26, 2021, WHO declared the Omicron variant as the Variant of Concern (VOC), which replaced the Delta variant as the dominant variant.
Dr Noor Hisham shared that until Feb 20, 2022, 169 countries have reported 1,571,345 cases of Omicron variants in the media and the internet.
"Meanwhile, 153 countries with 1,406,717 cases of Omicron variants have been reported on the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data website (GISAID). Three countries have passed the peak of the Omicron wave - the United Kingdom (UK) with 498,510 cases, followed by the USA 438,156 cases, and Denmark 80,324 cases.
"While Asean countries are beginning to show an increase in cases but they have not yet reached the Omicron wave peak.
"A spike in fresh infections could be seen in several Asean countries namely Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines," he added.