Friday 29 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on February 14, 2022 - February 20, 2022

Many view the latest recommendations of the National Recovery Council to reopen Malaysia’s borders in the midst of a surge in Covid-19 infections as prioritising the economy over public health.

But is it?

So far, data has shown that Malaysia is better prepared for Omicron compared with Delta. The health system is not under stress with less than 5% of patients requiring hospitalisation, with most of them recovering within days.

Let’s look at the figures. On Aug 11 last year, during the Delta wave, the number of ICU Covid-19 admissions was 1,547, compared with only 158 cases on Feb 11 this year. The death toll on Aug 11 was 332, while a total of fewer than 10 deaths was registered on 

Feb 11. There were over 9.6 million fully vaccinated individuals on Aug 11, compared with over 25.7 million individuals on Feb 11.

Opening Malaysia’s borders without quarantining vaccinated travellers is part of the transition to the endemic phase.

We should not delay our transition just because of the surge in Omicron infections. Covid-19 is not going away.

It is evident in countries such as Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand — which have the strictest border controls in the world — that even if you keep your borders closed, the virus will still find its way in.

We need to get on with life, but in a safe and responsible manner. It is crucial to mask up, vaccinate, work-from-home when possible, and test regularly to keep each other safe.

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