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PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia will keep a close eye on the new Covid-19 strain in the UK, which is said to have a higher infection rate than usual, says the Director General for Health.
Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah said that currently, travelers arriving in Malaysia from the UK will continue to be subject to mandatory Covid-19 testing and the country’s quarantine ruling.
“We are still closely following the developments of the new strain in the UK. The strain is said to be 70% more infectious.
“Those arriving from the UK will still be screened and those who test negative for Covid-19 must undergo the 10-day quarantine order.
“We hope it is enough, but we will intensify our vigilance for those coming from the UK.
“The most important thing is that they are contained,” Dr. Noor Hisham said at a press conference here on Monday (December 21).
It added that Malaysia had a similar experience with the Covid-19 D614G mutation, which affected Kedah state around August.
“The D614G strain is seen to have high infectivity and started from an individual who came from Sivagangga in India. In a short period of time, we saw almost all of Kedah infected, with multiple groups.
“The virus continues to mutate and the ministry continues to monitor this,” said Dr. Noor Hisham.
After news emerged from the UK about the newly discovered strain of Covid-19, several countries in Europe, including the Netherlands and Italy, proceeded to ban passenger flights from the country, as did India.
Not much is known about the strain, but experts said current vaccines should still be effective against it.
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