Dr Noor: New Covid-19 Strain D614G That Is 10x More Infectious Detected In M’sia

Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah announced the emergence of a D614G type mutation as a result of isolation and culture tests on three cases from the Sivangangga PUI Cluster and one from the Ulu Tiram Cluster done by the Malaysian Institute for Medical Research.

Urging communities to be careful, Noor Hisham said: “That it is found to be 10 times easier to infect other individuals and easier to spread if spread by ‘super spreader’ individuals.”

“So far these two clusters have been found to be under control as a result of swift public health control actions.”

Speaking via Facebook, Noor Hisham writes that the mutation was discovered in July 2020 and may cause existing vaccines to be ineffective against the mutation.

“Our next course of action should be to continue applying preventive measures and public health control by maintaining discipline in carrying out set SOPs.” 

“Among them are social distancing, maintaining personal hygiene, wearing facemasks in public places and in close contact with one another.”

Noor Hisham ended his Facebook announcement by assuring the public that the current situation is still under control and that the cooperation of the public is needed to break the Covid-19 chain and avoid the emergence of further mutations.

Also read: Dr Noor Hisham Clarifies What Kind of Public Places the Wearing Of Masks Are Mandatory