14% of Omicron cases were unvaccinated returnees from abroad, says KJ

PETALING JAYA: Seventeen of the 122 Omicron cases, or 14%, had come from unvaccinated individuals returning from overseas, says the Health Ministry.

The 17 unvaccinated individuals - 10 Malaysians and seven non-citizens - were among the 122 who were confirmed to have been infected with the Covid-19 variant as of Tuesday (Jan 4).

Out of the 17 imported infections, four each came from the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates.

The remaining five cases came from Saudi Arabia, the United States, Australia, Ghana and Ireland, respectively.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the ministry was trying to ascertain why the individuals did not complete their immunisation against Covid-19.

“So, the standard operating procedures (SOPs) had been flouted, as only those who are vaccinated are allowed to travel. We will talk to the relevant ministries to ensure that agencies will adhere to our SOPs.

“We are also checking why they were unvaccinated, whether it is due to health reasons or because they simply refused,” he told a press conference on Thursday (Jan 6).

Earlier, Khairy announced that Malaysia registered 123 new Covid-19 Omicron cases as of Thursday (Jan 6), bringing the cumulative Omicron-variant case count in the country to 245.