Level of public health stability to be gauged with ICU admission

KUALA LUMPUR: The effect and level of public health stability after the opening of the country's borders would only be measured through the rate of admission into intensive care units, said Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin.

"We will start opening borders on April 1 and we will see the effect of the opening and ensure the opening is made safely with no pressure on the public health system.

"But what we do not know is in terms of new Omicron variants...this, we are monitoring as we know Omicron is a sub unit and the experts at the Health Ministry are also monitoring. If we look at the trend in European countries, infection is going down and up," he told a media conference after attending the UMNO General Assembly here today.

He was replying to questions on the ways to measure public health stability adopted by the ministry.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on March 8 announced that Malaysia was entering the transition to endemic phase as well as reopening the country's borders on April 1.

Ismail Sabri was reported as saying that the decision was made after taking into consideration various factors, evaluating risks, and obtaining the views of the Health Ministry as well as suggestions of the Quartet Ministers.

Khairy said also monitored is the relaxation for Tarawih prayers.

"I want to see after April 1... more relaxation for Tarawih prayers and so on, it does not matter if cases are spiking or not,... I will be looking at ICU admission in the next few months to see if the situation is stable or not ," he said.

-- BERNAMA