KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 12): The basic reproduction number (R-nought or R0) of Covid-19 infections in Malaysia climbed back up to 1.0 on Thursday (Nov 11), according to Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a tweet on Friday.
The last time the country reported R0 above 1.0 was Aug 31 (1.02), when Covid-19 cases stood at 20,897.
R0, an indicator of how contagious the infection is, shows the average number of people who will contract the disease from a single infected person.
"The infection rate has risen again to 1.0. Although daily [Covid-19] cases are levelling off, our concern is that if the cases are rising again.
"We urge the public to follow the SOPs (standard operating procedures) and vulnerable groups need to get booster (vaccine) dose immediately when the appointment is made," said the Health director-general.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin also concurred with Dr Noor Hisham, advising the public to take the vaccine booster shots.
"We are monitoring hospital admissions and other leading indicators.
"The elderly, where possible, should avoid crowded places," he added in a separate tweet.
Malaysia reported 6,323 Covid-19 cases on Thursday — the fourth consecutive day of upward trend — raising the number of active cases which carry high transmission risks to 63,827.
These brought the tally of coronavirus infections nationwide to 2,528,821.