KUCHING: The Omicron has now replaced the Delta as the dominant circulating Covid-19 variant in the state, says Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Institute of Health and Community Medicine (IHCM) director Prof Dr David Perera.
According to Perera, a detection rate of seventy eight per cent of the Omicron had been discovered from surveillance data of positive cases done from Jan 3 until Jan 26 this year.
He revealed this in his latest report to Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas on Sunday (Feb 6).
“A total of 58 samples were successfully sequenced over the period.
“Of that number, 45 Omicron variants were detected while another 13 were Delta VoG variants.
“The 78 per cent detection rate indicates that Omicron is now replacing Delta as the dominant variant in Sarawak,” he said
Perera added the Omicron cases were detected in samples taken from Kuching, Samarahan, Sibu, Kapit, Mukah and Miri.
He said the majority were of the BA.1.1 lineage but three cases of the more infectious BA. 2 lineage were identified in Kapit.
“Most of these cases have happened through community transmission,” he said.
Following the resurgence of COVID-19 positive cases in the country, Perera, who is also a member of the Sarawak Covid-19 Vaccine Advisory Group (SCoVAG), advised people who had not received the booster dose to get it immediately.
“This is because studies have shown that booster doses are necessary to increase the antibody levels to protect against Omicron infection,” he said.
He also reminded the people to continue adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and to avoid community gathering if possible to prevent further community spread.
For the record, Institute of Health and Community Medicine from Unimas has been tracking the SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in the state.
