Malaysian Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin urged residents not to treat the coronavirus as the simple flu amid another outbreak due to the omicron strain, The Straits Times reported on Monday.
"Our society continues to struggle with a wave of infections due to omicron, so we should not routinely treat COVID-19 as the simple flu," the department head pointed out. "Every fatality [from a coronavirus infection] is a very serious occurrence," he added.
"Although the omicron strain leads to less severe consequences, it still can't be plain flu," Khairy stressed, calling for "special attention to the most vulnerable social groups." In this regard, the minister noted the importance of revaccination, especially for the elderly and those with medical conditions.
To date, almost 80% of the total population of the country has been fully immunized against coronavirus, and about 45% received booster doses. Last week, the Ministry of Health reported a record high daily increase of more than 31,000 infected people.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS