Omicron Arcturus Variant Detected In Malaysia, 12 Patients Experiencing Mild Symptoms

JAKARTA - The Malaysian Ministry of Health said 12 cases of subvariant XBB.1.16 or Omicron Arcturus were detected in the country with all patients having mild and stable symptoms.

Malaysian Minister of Health Zaliha Mustafa said the World Health Organization (WHO) had classified the Arcturus subvariant as a Variant of Interest (VOI) since April 17, 2023, so it needed attention even though it was not in the variant class under monitoring (Variant Under Monitoring).

He said Malaysia recorded 12 cases of the Arcturus subvariant, 6 cases were found in Sarawak, 4 cases were found in Selangor, and 2 others were found in the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory.

The global risk assessment reports the infection risk and case severity caused by subvariant XBB.1.16 to be lower than subvariant XBB.1.5 and other previously reported variants or subvariants.

According to Zaliha, although Malaysia has identified the XBB.1.16 variant since March 2023, the COVID-19 infection situation is still under control and does not burden the capacity of health services in clinics and hospitals.

As reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, April 25, KKM recorded a decrease in new cases of COVID-19 in the 16th epidemiological week of 2023 by 6.4 percent or from 5,149 to 4,817 cases compared to the previous epidemiological week.

In addition, as many as 70.97 percent or 18,319 cases of the cumulative number of cases infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus were categorized as Variant of Concern (VOC) and Variant of Interest (VOI) of the Omicron variant and its subvariants.

KKM again reminded the public to continue to carry out the test, report, inform, isolate, and trace (TRIS) steps for those with symptoms if positive for COVID-19 and immediately self-isolate for a specified period of time.

KKM also appealed to Malaysians who are in vulnerable categories such as the elderly and children to wear masks in crowded, cramped, and risky places.

In addition, he asked the public to maintain their own hygiene by diligently washing their hands or using a hand sanitizer, as well as taking a second booster dose of vaccine.