Main image via CGTN + The Star
As if 2020 hasn’t been bad enough, we’ve got more bad news coming your way.
According to health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, a new strain of COVID-19 has been detected in Malaysia and it’s 10 times more infectious.
Image via CGTN
In a recent Facebook post, the director-general shared that a D614G-type mutation of the virus was found as a result of isolation and culture tests on three cases from the Sivagangga patient-under-investigation (PUI) cluster and one from the Ulu Tiram cluster.
Dr Noor Hisham went on to add that the public should be extra vigilant during this time as the D614G mutation is 10 times more infectious than the regular strain.
“It is found to be 10 times easier to infect other individuals and easier to spread, if spread by ‘super spreader’ individuals,” the director-general said. “So far, these two clusters have been found to be under control as a result of the swift public health control actions.”
Initial tests and several follow-up tests are currently being conducted on other cases, including for the index case for the two clusters, Dr Noor Hisham added in his post.
He also shared that the D614G mutation was first discovered by the Malaysian Institute for Medical Research scientists in July 2020 and it is likely to cause the study on existing vaccines to be incomplete or ineffective against the mutation.
The public is advised to continuously practice preventive measures and follow public health control and standard operating procedures (SOPs) like physical distancing, self-hygiene practices and wearing face masks.
“The latest COVID-19 situation is found to be under control and the Ministry of Health and other agencies are still making efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19,” Dr Noor Hisham added. “Public cooperation is needed so that we can together break the chain of COVID-19 infections from all types of mutations.”
Image via The Star
Now that you know that there’s a more infectious strain of COVID-19 out there, please be sure that you’re keeping you and your loved ones safe by following all health and safety measures.
Wear a mask, practice physical distancing, wash your hands and follow all the SOPs put in place!
Stay safe and stay updated with the latest COVID-19 news here: https://en.syok.my/covid-19
Info via The Star
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