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Omicron: Malaysia calls for ‘vigilance and calm’ after finding first case linked to new Covid-19 variant
- The health minister said the infection was detected after authorities conducted genomic tests of samples from 74 recent positive cases found at Kuala Lumpur airport
- The fully vaccinated South African national, 19, was discharged after showing no symptoms during a 10-day quarantine period
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Malaysia’s Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on Friday said the country needed to be prepared for the possibility that the Omicron Covid-19 variant was already in the community, as authorities announced the first imported infection for the mutated form of the virus.
The 19-year-old South African national, who underwent quarantine, arrived in Malaysia from her home country via the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on November 19. She transited through Singapore’s Changi Airport.
She showed no symptoms during her isolation and was released on November 29, Khairy said in a press conference. The patient’s close contacts tested negative for Covid-19, he added.
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The case was detected before South Africa reported its discovery of the new variant to the World Health Organization on November 24, and was confirmed as an Omicron infection when health authorities reassessed genomic tests.
A total of 74 samples from positive cases found at Kuala Lumpur airport were subject to genomic tests.
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