LETTERS: The Omicron wave is upon us and we are not sure how high it will peak. The number of daily cases on Feb 16, 2022 was 27,831, highest number throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in our country.
Omicron variant has very high transmissibility compared with the Delta variant. Once it is in the community, it spreads very fast and with high caseload as we observe in the US, UK, EU countries, as well as our neighbouring countries.
Some of us may panic and question why movement control is not implemented, while some may think Omicron is a mild variant and we should just let it subside on its own. Both views are understandable but neither works on its own.
Omicron may be mild, but vulnerable individuals such as senior citizens and the aged, those with comorbidities and low immunity may suffer severe symptoms, require hospitalisation and may even die from it.
We need to take the middle path with both the government and public taking their responsibilities in overcoming this Omicron wave without having to lock down and not to crash our healthcare system with the high influx of Covid-19 related hospitalisation.
Our government should have evidence-based strategies designed with clear goals in the prevention of Covid-19 deaths, protecting our healthcare systems from crashing and not sacrificing the care of non-Covid-19 patients such as cancers, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases etc.
In addition, keeping the economic sectors open is crucial as this will support our country's economy and the livelihoods of our people the absence of which may cause social unrest or mental health issues.
After going through the Covid-19 pandemic for more than two years, we are all aware of the various effective measures in the prevention and control of Covid-19. The key measure is vaccination. Full vaccination (with boosters) prevents severe symptoms or death and transmission partially. Based on the COVIDNOW data on Feb 9, 2022, the number of Covid-19 related deaths were 5.8, 0.3 and 0.1 per 100 thousand patients who were unvaccinated, vaccinated with two doses and boosted respectively.
Those small number of deaths among patients who were boosted may be from those vulnerable groups. In addition to vaccination, other public health measures such as wearing masks, social distancing and keeping hand hygiene are the other layers of protection against Covid-19 infection. Masks that fit well with good infiltration should be worn when in public places. Avoid crowded and poorly ventilated places.
Consider your risks in dining out carefully: whether you fall in the high-risk group, who are you dining with (are they in your family bubble), where are you dining out (indoor or outdoor, is it crowded or not).
Testing before dining out or joining any events may be another effective measure in preventing the spread of Covid-19. However, this needs everyone's commitment in doing the test and being honest with the results. Individuals with symptoms but negative results should not join the events as the timing of testing may be too early or the test is not carried out appropriately.
Lastly, maintaining healthy weight, keeping healthy lifestyle in diet, physical activities, good stress management are keys to having good immunity. For those with comorbidities, keep their levels of blood sugar down, keep cholesterol and blood pressure within normal ranges by practising healthy lifestyle, and comply with medication and follow up with your doctors.
We should not panic with the high daily number of cases during this Omicron wave. If each of us play our roles, we will be able to weather this wave successfully. Stay safe stay healthy.
Professor Dr Moy Foong Ming
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times