THE HEALTH | MARCH-APRIL , 2022
| Column |
SEPSIS ALERT
BY DR NIZAM ISHAK
AND ASSOC PROF DR TAN TOH LEONG
THE OMICRON variant is the dominant new Covid-19 variant in most countries .
The variant first detected in South Africa on November 2021 has higher infection rates than other variants . Because of this , Malaysia has postponed the country ’ s transition from the pandemic phase to the endemic phase .
The Omicron variant was found to cause increased admissions of Covid- 19 infected children to hospitals . This trend can be seen in the United Kingdom , France , Spain and the United States .
Most of the symptoms experienced by these children are indistinguishable from other infectious diseases . Before this , children infected with Covid-19 would present to the hospital with severe respiratory symptoms or pneumonia .
However , children with the Omicron variant show the characteristics of multiple inflammatory syndromes and the symptoms are less related to the respiratory problem .
On the bright side , the Omicron variant usually does not lead to severe illnesses compared to the Delta variant , especially to patients who have completed their vaccination .
Most of those vaccinated infected with the Omicron variant show no symptoms . Due to this , the Covid-19 vaccination program is one of the best methods to prevent the transmission of this Omicron variant in the population .
Therefore , the Ministry of Health ( MoH ) is campaigning for the public to complete their Covid-19 vaccination to reduce the daily cases and death rate due to the Omicron variant . The MoH has also encouraged all completed vaccinated people to take a booster dose , especially for Sinovac vaccine recipients to increase the body ’ s immunity .
If a patient is infected with the Omicron variant , a booster dose hopes to reduce the risk of severe disease
Omicron : Pushing towards the endemic phase
The endemic phase planning in Malaysia is important for economic and social activities and opening international borders without restrictions , and boosting the tourism economy
and the requirement to be admitted to the Intensive Care Ward .
The MoH also plans to bring in antiviral drugs available in the market to treat Covid-19 in Malaysia such as
Nirmatrelvir / Ritonavir ( Paxlovid ) and Molnupiravir . These antivirals can reduce the severity of Covid-19 and help to reduce the need for patients to be hospitalised .
Dr Nizam Ishak is Senior Principal Assistant Director Medico-Legal Section , Medical Practice Division , Ministry of Health Malaysia while Assoc Professor Dr Tan Toh Leong is Senior Lecturer and Emergency Medical Consultant , UKM Medical Center , Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and President and Founder of Malaysian Sepsis Alliance .
They can also be taken orally at home . Thus , with the availability of these antiviral drugs , the transition to the endemic phase of Covid-19 can be implemented quickly and effectively in Malaysia .
New guidelines
The MoH has issued new guidelines whereby the quarantine period has been reduced among completed vaccinated persons although they have been infected with the Omicron variant . Currently , a close contact person who has received the booster injection and is asymptomatic needs to be quarantined for five days .
The endemic phase planning is important for economic and social activities . In Covid-19 , these activities can be planned properly to reduce the rate of transmission and admission of patients to hospital .
However , cooperation and discipline from the community are important to ensure that public health prevention measures such as social isolation and periodic self-testing successfully prevent the spread of Omicron variants . This can ensure the endemic phase in Malaysia runs smoothly .
During this endemic phase , it is also important that new norms of life during the pandemic phase such as wearing face masks and periodic health monitoring using the MySejahtera application are continued .
During the endemic phase , the most important achievement would be to reduce Covid-19 deaths and ensure healthcare facilities are not burdened with the influx of Covid-19 patients . Another goal is to open international borders without restrictions and boost the tourism economy .
Hopefully , one day , Covid-19 including the Omicron variant , can be managed as simple as an influenza infection . It is also hoped there will be no more emergence of a new Covid-19 variant so that life in Malaysia can return to the way it was before the pandemic . — The Health