The upcoming Johor state election will see a "slightly different" list of standard operating procedures (SOPs) against Covid-19 due to the Omicron variant, said Khairy Jamaluddin.
The health minister said they are expecting the new Covid-19 strain to drive up the number of positive cases as it has a high transmissibility rate.
"The SOP used in the Malacca election was successful, as there was no spike in the number of cases after the polls were concluded. And so was the SOP employed in the Sarawak election.
"For Johor, the SOP will be slightly different, because it will take place with (the existence of) Omicron. Because we are expecting an Omicron spike. "But, we will monitor the seriousness of cases," Khairy told a press conference today.
However, the minister urged the public not to panic, saying that the high number of cases brought by Omicron has not translated to an increase in the number of serious illnesses that require hospitalisation and intensive care.
"What is more important now is not the number of cases, but how serious the cases are.
"If the number of serious cases is decreasing, meaning they do not need hospitalisation and such, we can continue with our plans to open up our country.
"The Health Ministry will always monitor important data like hospitalisation and death rates. These are the important indicators," he added.
[More to follow] - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.