THE first case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant has been detected in Malaysia, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.

He announced in an online press conference today that it was detected at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

The Omicron carrier is a 19-year-old non-citizen student studying in Ipoh, Perak who is from South Africa, and who had entered the country through Singapore.

The minister said the student, and five others who were on a bus that had picked them up at KLIA, are currently in quarantine.

He said the student entered Malaysia on November 19 before the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared Omicron a variant of concern on November 24.

“The student had completed her quarantine period on November 29, but today, we made a recall and eight of her close contacts will do a PCR swab test today.

“We will inform the public of the results later, but, at this point, none of them have any symptoms.

“Throughout her quarantine period alone in an apartment in Ipoh, she did not have any Covid-19 symptoms,” he said.

Khairy said the student had completed the Pfizer vaccination in Malaysia on September 29 before heading back to a province in South Africa to visit her family.

“Although this case exists, there has been no sharp increase in Ipoh, Perak, or wherever this case is present.

“We have also traced her MySejahtera check-in history paired with interviews on the ground, so we know exactly where she went,” he said.

The government is still getting information on the effects of this Omicron case, whether it is serious, as well as the infectious ability, he said.

In the meantime, he advised the public to not panic but to continue the strict following of the standard operating procedure.

As a control strategy, he said travellers arriving from high-risk countries at KLIA’s international gate will wear a digital tracker device throughout the quarantine period.

The travel ban to eight African countries, namely South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Malawi will continue, he added.

“Langkawi tourism bubble travellers arriving from all countries should undergo additional Covid-19 detection tests on the third and fifth day from the date of arrival.

“And the test type must be RTK-Ag professional,” he said.

The government will also conduct a more aggressive campaign for those who have not received their primer dose and for those yet to be vaccinated, Khairy said.

“We will also look into the groups of foreign workers together with NGOs and other agencies,” he said. 

WHO has warned that the Omicron variant could pose a very high risk.

According to the WHO, the B.1.1.529 variant was first reported from South Africa on November 24. – December 3, 2021.