Azlan Othman
The public is urged to stay at home if there is no pressing need to go out, abide by the standard operating procedures (SOPs) by wearing face masks and scanning their BruHealth code when entering and exiting premises.
This was said by Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar at a press conference yesterday, adding that the increase in cases is due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The effects of the Omicron variant are less serious and those who are yet to get vaccinated are encouraged to do so, and the double-dosed the booster shot, he said.
Although the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing, Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham said, the bed capacity at the National Isolation Centre (NIC) remained at 18.6 per cent yesterday.
Those tested positive for COVID-19 and asked to self-isolate are also called on to avoid interacting with others as well as update their health status daily via the BruHealth app.
Meanwhile, the minister said over 3,000 people are currently serving the quarantine order (QO) with 1,196 active cases recorded.
Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham also said the antigen rapid test (ART) can detect the Omicron variant and the public is urged to make use of it. “We want to reduce the use of PCR test as ART is proven to be effective in detecting the Omicron variant,” he said.
He said for primary contacts, they need to undergo ART screening and self-isolate for five days before another test on the fifth day. If they are tested positive, they must undergo the PCR test.
