The Malaysia Medical Association (MMA) urged the public not to ignore flu-like symptoms as Covid-19 cases rise.
Its president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz, in a statement to Malaysiakini, reminded the public of two important prevention measures; do self-testing when symptoms arise and impose self-quarantine when sick.
"Those with flu-like symptoms, however mild, should take the responsible step of self-testing and immediately isolate for the prescribed period if found to be Covid-19 positive.
"We still need to protect the vulnerable who can be at severe risk of Covid-19," said Azizan.
"Individuals at high risk need to ensure they wear face masks when in the presence of others and consider taking the recommended boosters.”
Last Sunday, the Health Ministry reportedly said the number of new Covid-19 cases had increased by 57.3 percent to 3,626 last week compared with 2,305 recorded the week before.
Health director-general Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan also said 48 percent of the cases involved those aged between 20 and 40, with more than 98 percent of them only having mild symptoms.
According to Radzi, four new Omicron subvariants were detected in the same period, all of which were variants of concern.
Last year, Covid-19 vaccine formulations were updated to a bivalent formulation targeting the Omicron variant as well as the original strain that was first detected in Wuhan, China.
This year's formulation is updated with a monovalent formulation based on the XBB.1.5 variant, which was the prevalent Omicron subvariant at the time.
In light of the Omicron variant and high levels of population immunity, the World Health Organization updated its vaccination guidelines in March and in November to no longer endorse routine revaccination for healthy adults and children beyond their primary vaccination, as this is no longer seen as cost-effective in reducing Covid-19’s burden on public health.
However, it says vulnerable populations should be still revaccinated. For example, pregnant women should be revaccinated at each pregnancy, medical frontliners at every 12 months and immunocompromised people and senior citizens with multiple comorbidities should be revaccinated every six to 12 months.
Asked whether the unavailability of the new updated Covid-19 vaccine formulation in Malaysia was an added cause of concern, Azizan said there remains a high percentage who haven't taken the available boosters.
"Those belonging to this group should consider taking the booster as it still does protect against severe Covid-19," she stressed.
Meanwhile, two other public health experts echoed MMA's views that the recent increasing trend in the number of new domestic and global Covid-19 infections should give rise to more vigilance in following existing protocols.
Universiti Teknologi Mara Public Health Department principal medical lecturer Dr Khalid Ibrahim said the number Covid-19 cases will continue to rise and fall in "small waves", and so the current spike should be expected.
"This is because the virus keeps mutating. Now and again, there will be a new variant that better escapes our existing immunity," Khalid told Malaysiakini.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, a record number of cases were registered in countries now entering the winter months often associated with respiratory illnesses.
"Some countries have correlated this (current) surge with a new variant BA 2.86. I don't know about Malaysia yet," he said, adding that related studies will be carried out by the Institute of Medical Research's virology section.
"Usually, genome typing will be conducted when a hospital suspects a new variant with a different virulence level than the existing variants appears," he said.
‘Under-reported cases’
Aside from the confirmed Omicron infections reported by the Health Ministry, MMA’s former president Dr Milton Lum noted a lack of information on other newer variants already detected in other countries.
He also noted that under-reporting of new infections, unlike during the initial pandemic years, could skew the numbers of reported cases both abroad and in Malaysia.
"Thankfully, the public healthcare facilities are coping," Lum told Malaysiakini.
"It is unlikely that Malaysia’s preparedness will be tested as it is not in the interest of the virus to be too virulent," said the consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist.
"Vigilance is vital. Hopefully, the Health Ministry is closely monitoring the situation," he added.
Whether the government should expedite the procurement of new Covid-19 vaccines, Lum said the Health Ministry should regularly review its related guidelines, and that any decision would depend on needs and demand.
On public databases, Malaysiakini’s checks found that as of Nov 28, Malaysia has only published genomic sequences of 14 Covid-19 samples in the preceding 60 days, compared to 1,948 in Singapore and 39 in Thailand.
This gives Malaysian authorities and the global scientific community a reduced awareness of Covid-19 variants circulating in Malaysia.
In the meantime, both Khalid and Lum said effective prevention will require compliance with existing health protocols put in place since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019.
This was on top of recommending an additional influenza vaccine - which is taken annually.
In light of increased travels during the year-end holiday season, Lum added that anyone unwell should stay home under self-quarantine.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa in a recent interview with Malaysiakini said lessons learnt throughout the pandemic should not be forgotten, and that the government is actively monitoring recent developments, including on vaccine research.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang previously said his ministry was strengthening the national vaccine ecosystem to ensure Malaysia is ready to face any pandemic threat in the future. - Mkini
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