Well, as the calendar turns into 2022, we're potentially looking at another COVID-19 wave.

Omicron is inevitable

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has warned that there is a high possibility that Malaysia will be hit by an Omicron wave soon.

Khairy told The Star that several countries around the world are currently experiencing an Omicron wave, and there's a good chance that our country will be hit by one too.

While some would argue that the Omicron variant was less severe than Delta, Khairy said Omicron was more infectious and would still put a strain on the country's healthcare system.

Sepertimana negara2 lain, berkemungkinan besar gelombang Omicron akan mula di Malaysia. Liputan dos penggalak yang luas, pemakaian pelitup muka, pengudaraan yang baik, #TRIIS, MySJ Trace & kawalan pintu masuk antarabangsa anatara langkah perlahankan penularan Omicron. https://t.co/QSQnIUG2Cx

— Khairy Jamaluddin ??? (@Khairykj) January 2, 2022

"Like other countries, it is very likely that the Omicron wave will start in Malaysia. Some refer to Omicron impact data not as severe as Delta. It looks like that.

"But the infectiousness of Omicron is higher than Delta. If the case denominator is larger, definitely hospitalisation and ICU (intensive care unit) use will go up," Khairy said in a series of tweets.

He added that the Health Ministry wants to avoid crippling the public health system by slowing down the spread of the variant here in Malaysia.

Image credit: The Straits Times

As such, the government has implemented several measures to achieve that goal, and that include extensive booster dose coverage and international gateway control.

He also advised Malaysians to register for booster shots, continue wearing face masks, implementing the TRIIS (Test, Report, Isolate, Inform and Seek) strategy as well as activate their MySejahtera Trace system.

A rise in Omicron cases in Malaysia

According to a report by New Straits Times, a total of 64 Omicron cases have been reported in Malaysia so far.

The Health Ministry revealed that 63 of the cases involved travellers and the remaining one is a suspected local infection.

"Of the 64 Omicron cases, a total 32 cases (50 per cent) were detected among umrah pilgrims," Khairy said in a statement quoted by the news portal on Saturday (1 January).