During the 49thh Epidemiological Week (ME 49/2023) from Dec 3-9, Health director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan reported a total of 12,757 Covid-19 cases, an increase from the previous week’s 6,796 cases.
He reassured that despite the spike in new cases, the situation in Malaysia was still manageable, and the existing healthcare facilities were not overwhelmed.
Most Covid-19 cases in Malaysia displayed mild symptoms and did not require hospitalization, he added.
He mentioned that the rate of Covid-19 admissions to healthcare facilities for the use of non-critical beds and beds in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) each rose to 1.4% in ME 49/2023 compared to the previous week, with the rate of Covid-19 patients requiring respiratory aid also rising to 0.5% and the overall fatality rate from Jan 25 to Dec 9 being 0.72%.
Dr Muhammad Radzi noted that the increase in Covid-19 cases in Malaysia coincided with a global trend, including in neighbouring countries. He attributed the rise to the year-end trend seen in other countries.
He also mentioned that during the ME 49/2023 period, a total of 26 new Omicron variants were reported, comprising 21 Variant of Concern (VOC) and five cases of Variant of Interest (VOI).
“So far, no new variants have been detected in Malaysia. The variants still circulating in Malaysia are the Omicron variant with subvariants XBB.1.16, XBB.1.5 and EG.5.
“Although this variant is known to have a high rate of infectivity, it does not cause severe infections,” he said.
Dr Muhammad Radzi also advised the public to continue taking preventive measures, including maintaining a high level of personal hygiene, wearing face masks if symptomatic, and getting Covid-19 vaccine booster jabs. – Bernama
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