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PUTRAJAYA (THE STAR / ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Malaysia’s Ministry of Health said on Wednesday (December 23) that it identified a new strain of Covid-19 in the country from samples taken in Sabah.
The director general of the ministry, Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, said it is still unknown whether the strain, dubbed the “A701B” mutation, is more infectious than usual.
“It is similar to a strain found in South Africa, Australia and the Netherlands,” he said in his daily press conference.
“The Covid-19 virus always mutates, and we are always monitoring and investigating the involvement of different strains in the population.”
He added: “We detected this mutation in 60 samples taken from Covid-19 patients at the Benteng Lahad Datu group in Sabah.
“We have not yet determined if this strain has a high level of infectivity and if it is more aggressive than usual.”
He added that Malaysia had previously discovered a mutation that was said to have 10 times more infectivity than normal strains.
The Covid-19 D614G mutation struck Kedah around August, and the state soon saw a rapid rise in infections.
On the Covid-19 mutation found in the UK, which is also said to be highly infectious, he said the ministry is monitoring the situation.
However, the government does not intend to reverse the mandatory 10-14 day quarantine rule due to the discovery of the UK mutation.
“If we look at the data from our quarantine ruling, there is not much difference between 10 and 14 days of isolation.
“Most of the time, an individual will develop symptoms within the first week.
“If the quarantine period is only seven days, then maybe there is a high risk, but 10 or 14 days is not much different, based on our experience,” said Dr. Noor Hisham.
Travelers arriving in the country from abroad continue to undergo Covid-19 tests and a quarantine order if they test negative.
Those who test positive will be sent to the hospital for isolation and treatment.
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