KUCHING: The Ministry of Health (MoH) pays serious attention to the public’s concern regarding the increase in Covid-19 cases in China as well as restrictions made by several other countries against travellers from China.
Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said MoH would improve methods of containing the spread of Covid-19 infections in the country as well as preparedness to deal with any possible increase in cases.
“With the extension of Malaysia as an Infectious Endemic Area until June 2023, it facilitates the MoH to take any immediate action when required.
“This includes changing existing policies, especially healthcare management of the pandemic at the national border (health border measures) as well as tighten the standard operating procedure (SOP) of health checks at any entry to the country.
“It will be implemented if necessary, not only to visitors or travellers (Malaysian citizens and non-citizens) who arrive from China but even those travellers from all around the world,” she said in a statement on Monday (Jan 2).
Besides, she said MoH was always in close contact and holding discussions with the World Health Organisation (WHO), China and Asean countries.
“MoH takes policies that are guided and based on science and exact data.
“Based on the report, WHO has held a meeting with the respective parties from China for the latest data sharing and it will continue to find out in detail the information, situation and management of Covid-19 in the country.”
Based on the information reported by China to WHO, variants and subvariants found in China have also been detected in Malaysia.
Referring to the available information, the Covid-19 vaccine is effective in providing protection from severe symptoms and should reduce hospital admissions.
Dr Zaliha added that a bivalent vaccine would be supplied to Malaysia following the approval of the conditional registration given by the Drug Control Authority recently.
She added that an announcement would be made after the supply is received along with the detailed eligibility criteria.
Dr Zaliha also said the ministry also hoped that the percentage of receiving booster doses would continue to increase, especially among those at risk.
“Currently only 49.8 per cent of Malaysians have received the first booster dose vaccine and only 1.9 per cent have received the second booster dose.”
Earlier, Malaysia set that all travellers are to go through screening for fever and testing wastewater samples from aircraft coming from China.
MoH said the wastewater sample would be sent to the National Public Health Laboratory for polymerase chain reaction testing before being dispatched for whole genome sequencing if the results are positive for Covid-19.
