WE have turned a corner! Malaysia's Covid-19 cases continue to drop, with the accelerated pace of vaccine coverage.
Vaccination coverage for the adult population increased significantly to 72 per cent, as of Sept 10. This is among the best in the world. Once the coverage reaches 80 per cent, the vaccination of teenagers can begin.
Since the pandemic began last year, we got used to the new normal. Masking, physical distancing, frequent hand-washing and the use of hand sanitisers are now second nature to us.
Though we see more positive cases, the Category 3 to 5 Covid-19 cases have been reduced in states with a high percentage of vaccinated people. Vaccines have proven to be effective, irrespective of the type.
Doubtless, the virus is going to be in the community longer than we think. The mottos --- No vax, no job; No vax, no class; and No vax no travel, are emblematic of the way of life in the new normal.
Even after vaccination, regular self-testing with saliva-based antigen tests will be indispensable to keep infections under control.
The Covid-19 vaccination provides three benefits.
FIRST, it protects us from severe infection and prevents death due to covid-19.
SECOND, vaccination decreases transmission since the viral load decreases in vaccinated people, as stated in an article published in the March issue of Nature Medicine.
THIRD, vaccination does give protection even against variants of SARS-CoV-2.
Variants have increased virus transmission, particularly Delta, however, the good news is that there are no variants of high consequence to date.
Admittedly, breakthrough infections do occur even in fully vaccinated people. However, the severity of the disease is mild. Hence, we should not let our guard down even after vaccination. We should follow the standard operating procedure (SOP).
Once vaccination coverage has been completed, we will enter the endemic phase. An endemic disease is one that is regularly found among people or in a specific area.
An example of an endemic disease is dengue in Malaysia. Although we shall soon win the war against Covid-19, we would have to live with the virus among us.
How can we live with this virus? No worries, we have had our training to cope with this new normal since March 2020; the whole population has got used to the SOP.
In addition to vaccination, here are four strategies to ensure our health and mental wellbeing in the endemic phase.
FIRST, we should maintain a healthy diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables, lean protein and whole grains. Zinc and vitamins C and D are known to help fight respiratory diseases and enhance healing.
SECOND, those suffering from non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, obesity and heart problems, should go for regular health check-ups to monitor blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
THIRD, we should avoid getting stressed. We should stay relaxed and have confidence in ourselves that we can beat this scourge. Staying positive and mindful, and exercising, such as yoga, coupled with seven to eight hours of sleep daily should help us build up our immunity.
The bottom line is that if you follow the SOP, you will not get the disease.
FOURTH, we should minimise shopping trips and complete them in a short time. It may even be better to shop online. And we should ensure proper ventilation at the home and workplace to prevent the spread of infection.
Researchers too have a role to play in our safety. They should accelerate development of pan-coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics, step up genomic surveillance of the virus at all entry points to know the status of variants, and systematically carry out seroepidemiological studies on the vaccinated population.
The writer is the dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, AIMST University and chairman of the Covid-19 Task Force