49 new cases of Omicron variant detected in Malaysia

PUTRAJAYA: A total of 49 new cases of COVID-19 infection of the Omicron variant have been detected in Malaysia, bringing the cumulative number of cases of the variant in the country to 62.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said of the total, 61 cases are imported cases, while one is likely to be a local infection reported in Sarawak yesterday (Dec 24).

He said the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) conducted a PCR Genotyping Assay test on 145 COVID-19 positive samples among travelers from Dec 15 to 21 with 60 of them were identified presumptive Omicron variant.

"On Dec 24, 45 of the 60 presumptive samples were confirmed Omicron variant through genome sequencing conducted by IMR," he told a press conference here today.

He said the Institute of Health and Community Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (IHCM-UNIMAS) had detected four cases of Omicron variant.

On the local infection of the Omicron variant, Khairy said, it involved a 38-year-old male Chinese national who had been working at an engineering company in Sarawak for three years

He said the man was admitted to a COVID-19 Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRC) under the Sarawak General Hospital on Dec 20 after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec 18.

Following which, he said, the case sample was then sent to IHCM, UNIMAS for genomic sequencing tests and was confirmed positive for the Omicron variant on Dec 23.

"The case has no history of traveling abroad in the past three years. The cause of the infection has yet to be identified and the investigation is still continuing by the Kuching Division Health Office " he said, adding that the man, who had completed the COVID-19 vaccination, was in stable condition.

Khairy said two contacts were identified, namely a driver and a social contact, with both of them having been instructed to undergo quarantine for 14 days, whereby the results of their first sample test found them negative for COVID-19.