KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia's health officials said they are keeping a vigilant eye on the COVID-19 situation in Singapore due to a recent rise in infection numbers there.

"The ministry is tracking the trajectory of the recent wave of a two-fold increase in COVID-19 cases reported by Singapore," Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad said.

"Following the recent wave in Singapore, the ministry has heightened preparedness measures to address the potential increase in cases in Malaysia," the Malaysian government said.

Malaysia monitoring trends locally and globally

While no new COVID deaths have been reported across Malaysia since 25 April, the case count in the country has risen by 14.8%, giving a total of 1,230 cases between 12 and 18 May. The Omicron variant and its subvariants have been reported in Malaysia. Officials are thus closely monitoring trends both locally and globally.

In neighbouring Singapore, meanwhile, the number of cases reported from 5 to 11 May reached 25,900, nearly double the 13,700 cases listed from just a week prior. The strains KP.1 and KP.2 constitute two-thirds of the infections reported in the city state. These are the same variants detected in China, India, Thailand, Australia and the UK.

"The World Health Organization has listed KP.2 as a currently circulating variant under monitoring, but there’s no indication that it will cause more severe diseases than the other circulating variants," Datuk Dzulkefly said.

The health minister also urged people to practise good personal hygiene, limit social interactions when sick, and wear masks if they are in high-risk groups, in crowded places, or showing symptoms.