PETALING JAYA: With Malaysia now bracing for an increase in Covid-19 infections due to the Omicron variant, many are wondering when the situation will pan out.

       Health experts said the country must be prepared to face a possible rise in the number of cases.

       Universiti Malaya epidemiologist Prof Datuk Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud said the low number of Omicron cases in the country currently may be due to the low genome-sequencing rates or the effects of the population-level immunity.

       “Countries with high vaccination rates are reporting an Omicron-fuelled wave. Reports suggests that the doubling time of Omicron is around two to three days, which is extremely short so if the coronavirus were to take root, cases may rise rapidly within days leading to renewed pressure on our healthcare facilities,” he warned.

       On Wednesday, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the Omicron wave had begun in Malaysia and the number of cases is set to go up. However, he assured Malaysians that the situation was under control due to the country’s high vaccination rate.

       To outpace the spread of the Omicron variant, Dr Awang Bulgiba said the country must establish widespread population-level immunity by administering booster shots to 80% of the people.

       “If booster doses are administered quickly, Omicron may lead to a short, sharp surge of infections followed by a rapid fall in infection numbers as booster doses re-establish widespread population-level immunity.

       “If we intend to accomplish this by the end of February, we need to administer the booster shots to around 360,000 doses per day,” he said.

       He added that although a booster jab would protect against severe effects, administering it regularly would not be a sustainable public health strategy.

       To identify the extent of local infections, Dr Awang Bulgiba suggested that more Covid-19 swabs be sent for genome sequencing and they should be conducted at random.

       “If only swabs taken from imported infections were sequenced, then it would not be representative of local infections, and we would not know the true proportion of Omicron infections in the community,” he said.

       “According to Our World in Data, at the end of December 2021, Israel reported that it managed to sequence 20% of all its new infections, while the figures for Singapore, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States were at 16%, 7%, 6% and 4% respectively.

       “On Jan 10, 2022, more than 90% of all sequenced samples in the United States and the United Kingdom were found to be Omicron while in Israel and Australia, more than 80% was Omicron,” he said.

       In comparison, he said, more than 70% of Malaysia’s sequenced Covid-19 samples was of the Omicron variant but Malaysia’s genome sequencing rate was less than 1%, which is insufficient to detect the degree of the Omicron threat to the country.

       Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said the slow spread of Omicron in Malaysia at the moment could be attributed to the country’s high vaccination rate, its strict border control, and good Covid-19 tracing and control.

       “However, the Omicron will land on our shores and overtake Delta, as has happened in many countries.

       “Looking at other countries, it’s just a matter of time before we are faced with an Omicron surge. We need to be protected by vaccination,” she added.

       According to Dr Sharifa Ezat, Malaysia may lag behind developed countries in terms of testing per million population.

       “Hence, the situation in Malaysia may not project the true burden of infection. Genetic analysis is also lacking in Malaysia compared with those countries,” she added.

       She said the healthcare system must be ready for the surge in cases, hospitalisation and deaths.

       Universiti Putra Malaysia epidemiologist Assoc Prof Dr Malina Osman suggested that the spike in Covid-19 cases in many European countries and the United States was due to winter season.

       “We know that during winter, infectious diseases that are related to the lungs such as flu and Covid-19 are higher compared with other seasons,” she said.

       Dr Malina said measures to fight Omicron should be continued.

       “As long as people are adhering to instructions and standard operating procedures as well as taking their booster shots, we should be safe,” she said.