PUTRAJAYA DEC. 16: Malaysia has recorded the second case of Omicron variant involving a girl aged 8 living with her family in Lagos, Nigeria and returned to Malaysia on 5th Dec.2021 after a flight transit in Doha, Qatar.
Minister of Health, Khairy Jamaluddin said, the result of RT-PCR COVID-19 of the child before leaving Malaysia was negative.
Khairy added, the Ministry of Health (MOH) would like to inform that the Medical Research Institute (IMR) has tested PCR Genotyping Assay on 52 samples from 52 positive COVID-19 cases among travellers who came back from abroad from 6th until 10th Dec.2021.
“From the total, one sample has shown the probability of Omicron variant via PCR Genotyping Assay. The Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) was carried out further on the sample and has confirmed that it was Omicron variant on 14th Dec.2021. This has marked the second Omicron variant case and both are imported,” Khairy said in a press statement here today.
According to Khairy, the result of RT-PCR of the case on arrival was positive COVID-19 on 7th Dec.2021. The case has no symptom and was asked to isolate at home for 14 days.
“The close contact consists of her mother, sister, father and taxi driver from KLIA to the house. All tests carried out on the mother and sister before departure to Malaysia, on arrival and on the fifth and eleventh day had shown negative results.
“The RT-PCR COVID-19 test is now being carried out on the taxi driver. Three of them have been asked to be quarantined for 14 days. The case’s father arrived in Malaysia on 12th Dec. 2021 and now on quarantine at a private centre. The RTPCR test on the father was negative.
“About 35 people are close contacts on the flight namely four persons on the front seats, back, left and right side. The RT-PCR COVID-19 test results on arrival and on the fifth day for all contacts are negative,” Khairy said.
On another development Khairy said, the people are not permitted to celebrate Christmas and 2022 NewYear Eve on large scale but only limited to family members and friends.
However, he said, the people are required to do self-test for COVID-19 before attending such celebrations. –Malaysia World News.
