I will decide on indoor masking in a few days, KJ says

 

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he will make a decision in the next few days on whether wearing face masks indoors will still be required.

“I will make a decision soon. We have already discussed it internally.

“I more or less know what the decision is, give me a few days,” he said at a press conference after attending the launch of the National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS) health technology hub at Mranti Park in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur today.

This comes after the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) released a statement two days ago recommending the government review current regulations on the use of face masks in enclosed spaces.

“It is time that we seriously consider doing away with wearing face masks in enclosed spaces.

“The only caveat being certain public transport which involves the cramming of people for a long duration of time, nursing homes, eldercare centres, and healthcare facilities," said MMA president Dr Koh Kar Chai.

He also noted that the Covid-19 situation in the country appears to have plateaued.

Meanwhile, Khairy said his ministry will be evaluating the new updated Covid-19 vaccines that target the dominant BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron Covid sub-variants.

The US Food and Drug Administration authorised the updated Covid-19 booster shots from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna on Wednesday (Aug 31).

The new vaccines include the original version of the virus targeted by all previous Covid-19 shots.

New vaccines

“We are evaluating the product registration holder, in this case, companies like Pfizer will have to send their dossier to the National Pharmaceutical Regulation Agency (NPRA) as usual.

“We also have a technical working group for Covid-19 vaccines which will evaluate the data that’s come out of the US that the FDA used and they (NPRA) will make the recommendations,” said Khairy.

When asked whether there will be a timeline for the approval, procurement, and rollout of the updated vaccines, he said there is none for now.

This is because the Covid-19 situation in the country is under control and he does not want to rush into this decision.

“Let’s make an informed decision,” he said. - Mkini