HEALTH Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he is unsure at this stage if the community spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant is an inevitability, as in the case of the Delta variant.

“We have to accept the possibility that there are other Omicron cases in Malaysia.

“But whether it is a situation of inevitability, we don’t know yet. We are watching other countries as well.

“The United States and the United Kingdom are reporting an increasing number of Omicron cases. We have yet to see whether Omicron will eventually overtake Delta or not,” Khairy said after announcing today that Malaysia’s first Omicron Covid-19 had been detected.

He added that the discovery of Malaysia’s first Omicron Covid-19 variant demonstrated that the current system of conducting genomic tests of samples is working.

“We picked up this case from November 19, way earlier than when WHO announced it as a variant of concern (VOC) on November 24.

“We managed to capture it and if everyone sticks to the rule, we can contain it,” Khairy said.

He hoped that at least 75% of those vaccinated with the primary series would get their booster shot.

“Of course, we want a 100% target, but for now, we will aim for 75%,” he said.

The Institute for Medical Research (IMR) had also begun conducting PCR Genotyping Assay testing on all positive samples screened at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) since November 24.

It is an additional initiative to the ongoing study of whole genome sequencing, Khairy said.

Previously, WHO said that preliminary evidence suggested people who have had Covid-19 could become reinfected more easily with Omicron, as compared with other VOC but that the information was limited. – December 3, 2021.