Two Omicron variants in China, BA.5.2 and BF.7, are reportedly accounting for a growing number of cases in Malaysia as well, said Malaysian health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah on Monday (2 Jan).
The BA.5.2 and BF.7 variants account for 4,148 cases and three cases respectively in Malaysia as of 31 Dec, he said.
These variants are responsible for nearly 80% of cases in China, but no serious cases or deaths are currently linked to them.
Regardless, health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the ministry is considering imposing restrictions on travellers arriving from China, as well as other countries.
“Both the BA.5.2 and BF.7 variants are believed to have been caused by recurring cases or those who have a high chance of contracting the variant due to a high number of cases in China,” Bernama via Malay Mail reported Dr Noor Hisham as saying.
Source: Malay Mail
The BF.7 variant that is linked to the BA.5 variant reportedly has strong infection ability at a basic reproduction number of 10 to 18.6, while Omicron has an average basic reproduction number of 5.08.
An infected person is likely to transmit the virus to an average of 10 to 18.6 other people, according to a report by The Conversation.
A mutation in its spike protein makes it able to evade antibodies generated by vaccines, leading to a spike in cases in China and other countries.
This is expected to grow in countries like Malaysia and Singapore as they welcome more people from China.
Malaysia’s health ministry said it is monitoring the situation.
“When there are drastic changes that need strategic measures to ensure public health, it will be announced immediately by the WHO to all countries and for public attention,” Dr Noor Hisham said.
However, the current dominant strain since Oct 2022 is the XBB variant, according to genomic surveillance in Dec 2022.
The XBB variant comprises 55.4% of the samples, followed by the BA.2.75 variant at 20.8% and the BQ.1 variant at 10.8%.
Besides asking Malaysians who have not received their second booster shot to get it without waiting for the bivalent vaccine, Dr Zaliha also said there may be travel restrictions imposed on travellers from China.
This would follow what Japan, India, the United States, and Italy have done since China loosened restrictions in late-Dec.
The new requirements include asking for mandatory Covid-19 testing before travellers can enter.
Meanwhile, Singapore also said it is watching the situation closely.
At the same time, Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said the remaining Covid-19 restrictions may be lifted if the situation remains stable.
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Featured image adapted from Malay Mail.
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