Omicron BA.2 is expected to dominate infections in Malaysia
Malaysia’s health director-general warned in a statement on Monday that the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron will likely become dominant in the country, raising concerns about its possible high rate of transmission. Omicron has started to overtake Delta as the major coronavirus strain in Malaysia, according to continuing research and tracking.
Cases that involve BA.2 increased to 27% between March 1 to March 17, an increase from 1% and 2.7% in January and February. The BA.2 subvariant’s “dramatic rise” demands attention, said the health director general.
“A similar situation is also seen in some countries such as Denmark, India, and Nepal.”
The research comes as Malaysia plans to reopen its international borders on April 1 for the first time in two years. Yesterday, Malaysia registered 19,105 new Covid-19 infections, dropping from 22,341 the day before. The BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is causing an increase in infections in Europe and now accounts for around 30% of infections in the US.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
