KEEP the mask on, get fully vaccinated, including the booster shot, and, most importantly, don’t let your guard down during the transition to endemic phase, health experts warned.

“We’re not out of the woods yet from the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and after all, we will only be in the transition phase,” they reminded Malaysians as the country starts the transition from April 1.

“Remember, it’s only the transition phase,” they said as they pointed out that fully vaccinated people could actually be a danger to members of their family who are still vulnerable to Covid-19.

They are those not eligible for the vaccination or who have very low immunity to ward off an attack due to the chronic health problems they have.

Children under five are still not eligible for the vaccination and the majority of the Covid-19 deaths are reportedly people with comorbidities.

Dr Chee Hui Yee, a virologist and associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science at Universiti Putra Malaysia, told The Malaysian Insight that with many standard operating procedures (SOP) that are put in place to curb the spread of the virus set to be lifted, the working adults in a family pose the greatest threat to the well-being of their family.

“It’s OK for them to dine out, go partying and do other things but they need to consider who they have at home,” she said.

“Do they have any elderly kinfolk with chronic illnesses or children who have yet to get vaccinated at home who could be exposed to the virus they might bring home?”

Chee said some people might do a Covid-19 self-test to see if they have the virus or not.

The RTK-Antigen test kit, which could be bought in most supermarkets, is not quite as sensitive as most people think, she said.

“If you are infected and the test with these kits gives you a negative reading, that’s because the level of virus in your body is not high enough just yet,” she said.

Chee said these test kits could only detect the virus when the body contains 95% of it.

That, she said, is the greatest danger in any family.

“People let their guard down thinking they are negative. When they return home, they start passing the virus around as they normally do not wear a mask at home,” she said.

Chee said to be really certain of the result, they should take the polymerase chain reaction test.

The Health Ministry has in fact already relaxed or completely does away with some of the SOP.

On March 1, the ministry announced that those who are fully vaccinated and are asymptomatic need not have to undergo the five-day home self-quarantine if they had come into close contact with an infected person.

Chee also said the country could see some spike in new cases in the coming months as the schools reopen and the Hari Raya Aidilfitri around the corner.

Two possible scenarios

Another health expert, Dr Moy Foong Ming of Universiti Malaya’s Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, agrees.

Moy, who said the Hari Raya in May will trigger a spike, said starting the transition on April 1 could be a mistake.

“For me, it’s too early to enter this transition phase. Cases after Hari Raya will definitely be high,” she said.

Moy said with the lifting of the SOP, the cases could be higher than expected.

She, however, believes the numbers could remain low “if people are more responsible and play their part” by minimising the risk.

She said the federal government, on the other hand, must still pay attention to the numbers in the transition stage and determine whether people can coexist with the virus or the SOP need to be reviewed.

Two possible scenarios could come about during the transition period, she said.

Moy said Malaysia could declare it is in an endemic stage if the latest Covid-19 variant poses no serious threat.

The variant mutates very quickly, she said.

But if the new variant is more aggressive than the Delta variant, she said, then the government should review the existing SOP.

Dr Lim Chee Han, an infectious diseases biologist, said if the new cases hover at about only 200 a day, then the ministry could do away with the mask ruling.

“If the number of cases could be stabilised at 200 a day during the transition phase, people may not need to wear masks later,” said Lim.

Apart from the compulsory wearing of masks in public areas, registering oneself with the MySejahtera when entering public places such as shopping malls and offices will still be retained.

But a lot of SOP are expected to go.

There are now no longer any restrictions to business hours. There are also no restrictions on the number of people at workplaces.

Businesses can revert to their pre-epidemic operating hours.

There are also no longer any restrictions to the number of guests at weddings, although physical distancing would still be in place. – March 25, 2022.