PETALING JAYA: Although the Delta sub-variant AY.4.2 should be closely monitored, it will not pose a problem in the Melaka state election as long as the public adheres strictly to the standard operating procedure set to prevent a new wave of infections, say health experts.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia epidemiologist Assoc Prof Dr Azmi Mohd Tamil said it is still too early to tell whether the Delta sub-variant would pose a greater risk to public health than the standard Delta variant.
“The Delta sub-variant is reported to be 10% to 15% more transmissible than the standard variant.
“However, the increase in the number of cases suspected due to the Delta Plus strain was only suspected in the United Kingdom and not elsewhere.
“Viruses mutate all the time, so it is not surprising to see new versions emerge,” he said.
Dr Azmi said he would not worry too much as most of the adult population had been vaccinated, adding that this would ensure the morbidity and mortality rate stays low.
However, he said the public should still exercise caution by adhering strictly to the SOP.
On Nov 6, the Health Ministry said it had detected the first two cases of the Covid-19 sub-variant Delta AY.4.2 in the country from Malaysian students returning from the United Kingdom.
According to the BBC, the Covid-19 cases from the sub-variant in the UK have been increasing, accounting for 6% of its cases.
The UK Health Security Agency has placed the strain in the “variant under investigation” category.
The BBC reported that experts there believe there is no evidence to show that this strain has caused severe illness, adding that the existing vaccines still work well to protect people.
Universiti Malaya epidemiologist Prof Datuk Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud said there is not enough evidence at the moment that this particular variant is more transmissible or led to lower vaccine effectiveness compared to the original Delta variant.
However, he believes it needs to be closely monitored.
On whether a new wave of infections would occur due to the Melaka polls, Dr Awang Bulgiba said that would depend on the implementation and enforcement of the SOP during the election period.
He said at least 29 countries and territories had held elections or referendums during the pandemic.
“Some of these countries, such as South Korea, New Zealand, North Macedonia and Singapore, successfully held elections last year without any new wave of infections even though vaccinations had not yet started. Strict adherence to the SOP ensured no new waves of infections happened.
“One of the lessons from the Sabah state election was that laxity in adherence to the SOP plus increased population movement provided a fertile environment for Covid-19 to spread.
“To tackle laxity in adherence to the SOP, health education needs to be innovative and continuous, yet this is not given enough attention. SOP fatigue is something that we need to avoid.
“I suggest getting behavioural scientists involved in this as they understand what makes successful behavioural change and why some people get fatigued,” he said.
He pointed out that messages about Covid-19 too need to be consistent and easy to understand to make people feel that they are part of this pandemic war.
“Messages need to be packaged properly; do not talk down to people. Key opinion leaders, too, need to be engaged,” he said.
Universiti Putra Malaysia’s consultant clinical microbiologist Prof Dr Zamberi Sekawi concurred that whether or not the sub-variant could develop into something more transmissible remains unanswered.
“We still don’t know because the variant itself is not widespread yet,” he said.
Dr Zamberi said if international borders are opened, this sub-variant may pose a problem.
“Right now, this strain needs to compete with the original Delta variant as well.
“If AY.4.2 is able to mutate to become more infectious than the parent strain, eventually it becomes the dominant strain.
“But I don’t see that it is going to be widespread soon unless it is proven that this strain is much more infectious than the parent variant,” he added.