KKM: Malaysia Reports One Death From Indian Covid-19 Variant Sublineage

Yesterday (12 May), Malaysia recorded one death from a foreigner who was infected with the B.1617.2 variant, a sublineage of the Indian B.1.617 Variant of Interest (VOI).

This is the second case of the Indian variant that’s been reported in Malaysia, as said by The Edge Markets.

The foreigner, who arrived in Malaysia on 7 April, had undergone a Covid-19 test at the international arrival gate. He was tested again on 12 April but both showed a negative result said Health Director-General, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

“However, he tested positive on 21 April, when he was brought to the emergency and trauma unit after displaying severe Covid-19 symptoms. His health declined and he passed away on 1 May,” he added.

According to NST, Dr Noor Hisham said the B.1617.2 sublineage case and the B.1617.1 case were detected and confirmed by the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) which conducted genomic surveillance on 33 Covid-19 samples between the period of 3 May to 10 May.

Meanwhile, 14 cases of the South African variant were detected in Kelantan, Kedah, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan. 62 cases from that variant have been discovered in Malaysia with seven of them detected from the Kampung Dolmis cluster while another four were detected during close contacts’ screening. As for the remaining three, one case was detected from the Bangkahulu cluster, another from the Bayan Cenderawasih cluster and the last was detected from an individual after they were vaccinated.

Noor Hisham warned the public to comply with the SOPs, especially the restrictions prohibiting house visits, grave visits and mass gatherings during the Raya festivities.

“This is as a majority of people, up to 78.4 per cent who contracted Covid-19, did not have any symptoms and this makes the risk of infection and transmission extremely high should there be Hari Raya Aidilfitri visiting.”

Malaysia reported a record high of 39 Covid-19 deaths yesterday with 4,765 new cases.

Stay safe and healthy this Raya season!

Also read: Highest Covid-19 Deaths Recorded Today, Daily Cases Expected To Hit 5K By Mid-May