Cases of highly infectious Omicron variants detected in Sarawak

Members of the public are advised to get their booster shots if they have yet to do so, especially senior citizens and those with comorbidities.

Lab technicians from the Kuching health department in Sarawak run Covid-19 tests on swab samples taken from residents in this file picture. Photo: Bernama

Cases of the highly infectious Covid-19 Omicron variants BA.2.12.1 and BA.5 have been detected in Sarawak recently, according to the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Institute of Health and Community Medicine (IHCM).

Unimas IHCM director Dr David Perera said this in his report to state disaster management committee (SDMC) chairman Amar Douglas Uggah Embas in Kuching today.

Perera said 1,229 samples of positive cases were successfully sequenced from March 1 to June 16 this year.

“All were detected as the Omicron variant of concern (VoC). These samples represented positive cases obtained state-wide,” he said in a statement.

Perera said BA.2 continued to be the dominant circulating sub-variant, with multiple minor sub-lineages detected.

“However, in the last week of May, we detected the first incidences of the highly infectious BA.2.12.1 from a case in Kuching and BA.5 from a case in Sibu.

“Subsequently, an additional case of BA.2.12.1 and three cases of BA.5 were detected in Kuching through the second and third weeks of June. The World Health Organization had previously flagged both these sub-lineages as highly infectious with faster transmission rates than the parent Omicron VoC,” he said.

Perera said that in light of this development, the general public was strongly advised to be aware of the heightened risk of an increase in infection rates in the state.

“They are strongly advised, as well, to get their booster shots if they have not done so, particularly for individuals with comorbidities and those above 60 years old,” he said.