DESPITE having to stay vigilant of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the world populace is already confronted by two more emerging strains in “IHU” (said to be stronger than Ommicron) and “Flurona” (when individuals have both influenza and COVID-19).
While we know that Omicron spreads quickly, we are also aware that it is less infectious than the Delta variant. However, nobody can claim to be able to ascertain its long term effects yet. Thus far, over 100 countries have encountered the presence of the variant on their shores.
Yesterday (Jan 5), Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that the semi-autonomous region will ban flights from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan and the Philippines. The announcement cites that the city’s low vaccination rate makes it uniquely vulnerable to a new outbreak.
Over in the western region where vaccination rates are a lot higher, notably in the US, UK and Europe, the number of positive cases are seen increasing between 20% and 50%. According to observers, this phenomenon can probably be attributed to their culture of not wearing a face mask.
Mask wearing culture
In the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, health experts have always advised that the first line of defence is self-awareness, which will lead to self-protection. The easiest way to do so is to wear a face mask.
Currently, Malaysians are generally a complacent lot, adapting to post-pandemic life and learning to lead a new way of life.
Malaysia has witnessed controlled celebrations of Deepavali, Christmas, welcomed the New Year and even had multiple state elections in the last few months. The upcoming Chinese New Year and the re-opening of schools in 2022 will no doubt expose the public to more social contact.
Locally, the first case of Omicron variant was detected back in December 2021. The number of cases has been increasing ever since.
As of Tuesday (Jan 4), Malaysia has recorded a total of 122 Omicron cases of which 71 were linked to umrah (mini hajj) pilgrims.
Health Ministry’s Khairy Jamaluddin issued a stern notice to those under quarantine to do so seriously by abstaining from meeting anyone during that period. He further reminded the public to take their booster shots so as to be adequately protected from the COVID-19 virus.
As the country is optimistically looking to transition to the endemic phrase, companies like Komarkcorp Bhd, Malaysia’s largest face mask manufacturer, has seen its order books filled up till the end-May 2022.
Komarkcorp, which does OEM manufacturing of fashionable disposable masks for major local fashion labels alongside standard medical masks, has seen rising enquiries from potential clients while its order book has been dramatically filled up since the Omicron outbreak.
SCGM Bhd, which is associated with manufacturing of plastics products, has also found success in the downstream market of its core business by venturing into the personal protection equipment (PPE) business via the production of face shields.
The latest IHU variant have so far infected 12 people living in south-eastern France. The variant which has 46 mutations and 36 deletions make it genetically distinct. It may be too early to speculate on virological, epidemiological or clinical features of this IHU variant but extreme precautionary measures must to be taken.
Following the Government’s mandatory face mask wearing mandate, Malaysians have proven over time that while the alien culture of donning a face mask will not stop the virus from infecting another human, it can act as a great preventive measure by slowing down the viral transmission cycle.
It would appear that as the country regains its momentum from the devastation of COVID-19, disposable face masks are here to stay – at least as long as the foreseeable future.
Pic credit: Asahi Shimbun
