Omicron case detected in Malaysia

Malaysia on Thursday (Dec 2) detected its first case involving the Omicron variant of Covid-19 after a South African national tested positive for it, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on Friday.

"We have done comprehensive contact tracing,” Khairy added at a press conference.

According to him, the comprehensive contact tracing involved passengers on the aeroplane which the South African national boarded to come to Malaysia recently as well as those within the Kuala Lumpur International Airport's (KLIA) check-in area.

The health minister said the South African national is a 19-year-old student studying at a private university in Ipoh, Perak.

"The case (patient) travelled from KLIA to Ipoh using a bus specially provided by the university.

"The student has undergone compulsory quarantine at an accommodation provided by the university.

"The student is fully vaccinated [against Covid-19] and not asymptomatic,” Khairy added.

After the press conference, the minister wrote on Twitter that the South African national is a legitimate student who returned to Malaysia after visiting family members in South Africa.

He said the student complied with pre-departure Covid-19 testing and on-arrival testing, and had been staying at home during quarantine.

"Let’s be measured in our comments and reactions. New Covid-19 variants are inevitable.