FOUR months after Putrajaya urged Malaysians to look at daily Covid-19 cases in context, the question of what exactly is the context still cannot be fully answered.

The health minister’s press conference does not shed much light on the issue. In those four months, cases have dipped and surged to past numbers.

Though the situation seems about the same on the surface, but the circumstances between October and now are much different.

Omicron is fast becoming the dominant strain in the country, with it accounting for most infections in Sarawak and outpacing Delta in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

This may not necessarily be a bad thing.

Though more contagious, Omicron is said to incubate in less days, induce less serious symptoms and lose its infectiousness faster. Based on this data, many countries have lowered their quarantine requirements.

The health minister pointed out that the last time Covid-19 cases touched five figures on October 2, there were 109 deaths, while on Sunday there were only nine – a 91.7% reduction.

The number of patients in intensive care units also showed improvement, with only 96 on Sunday compared with 404 on October 2 – a 23.7% difference.

Theoretically, with a more educated citizenry, the additional resources since the onslaught of the virus, additional protection afforded by vaccines and boosters, load shared with the private sector, as well as relatively shorter length of Omicron infection – barring unforeseen circumstances – the healthcare system will not collapse as easily this time around.

On Sunday, only 0.53% of daily Covid-19 cases were under Categories 3, 4 and 5.

The Health Ministry has now exempted Categories 1 and 2A patients without comorbidities who are relatively well and able to take care of themselves from visiting Covid-19 Assessment Centres.

As an added precaution, the National Rapid Response Task Force is reactivated.

These are encouraging facts, and they give the government enough comfort to remove the pink band requirement and reduce the quarantine period to five days, in line with World Health Organisation recommendations.

Some nations, like Singapore and South Korea, have leapfrogged ahead of us in infection rates and are taking similar steps. It is clear that the move to shift to an endemic state is the inevitable path – or risk losing out economically and otherwise.

Others, like Germany and the United Kingdom, have started removing restrictions and normalising a newer “new” normal after facing their own Omicron waves.

We should take heed of these developments, fast.

Covid-19’s economic cost is becoming unbearable for the public, especially with seasonal businesses that depend on events, festivities, tourism and face-to-face transactions.

Thousands of shops have closed, and that, coupled with the general feeling of economic gloom, have only served to drive businesses, investments and shares value down, leading to investors pulling out and jobs, lost.

Being slow to pick up on trends will make us lose out on early mover advantage and to recoup much needed money to help sustain, bolster and repair our damaged economy.

It will also serve to boost mental health and restore optimism that directly affects consumer-spending and the job market.

Putrajaya is right in pointing out the need to set things out in the proper context, and that infections are manageable and the vaccination drive has met its objectives.

All that remains is for the government to act in concert with its own conclusions, in line with the experiences of other leading countries. – February 9, 2022.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.