GEORGE TOWN: Malaysia is expected to see a downward trend of the Covid-19 Omicron variant transmission by the end of this month with signs of declining infection currently taking place.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the situation could already be seen in foreign countries such as Britain and the Philippines, which had seen a downward trend in cases after being at the peak of the Omicron wave over a month ago.
He said the daily cases were also expected to reduce soon based on the herd immunity approach through mass vaccination.
Currently about 99 per cent of the adult population had received their Covid-19 vaccination while about three million people had recovered from the infection, which gave them immunisation against the Omicron variant.
"Our only fear now is if there is a new Covid-19 variant that is more dangerous, easily transmissible and immune to the vaccine. So, we need to be prepared (to face this possibility).
"For now, we know the Omicron variant responds to the vaccine we give which is a good thing.
"So we hope that with the herd immunisation approach taken by the government, namely by vaccination, this Omicron variant can be controlled and the daily cases continue to decline as shown in other countries," Dr Noor Hisham said.
He said this in a question and answer session after delivering a public lecture titled "Steeling Up Against the Omicron Storm, is Malaysia Prepared?" at the Penang Institute here today.
At the event, Dr Noor Hisham was also presented with the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Award for Leadership in Public Health.
Dr Noor Hisham said although the country was heading for an endemic phase, Covid-19 was still considered a pandemic among those who were not vaccinated.
This, he pointed out, was because data on infection rates, hospitalisation, treatment in intensive care units, deaths and others showed the number was higher among the unvaccinated.
"Apart from the hard-to-convince anti-vaccine group, there are also those who take a wait-and-see approach because they are worried about the health risks of taking the vaccine.
"I have never said that vaccination has no side effects because all vaccines have side effects.
"However, the majority of the effects are not serious (mild) while for those who are at risk of other diseases, the effects can be managed," he said.