COVID Infectivity Rate Rises 13%, Speculation For Next Wave To Hit In December As ICUs Fill Up

By Quinny Tan  •  17 Nov 2021 in News

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Some people may have forgotten about the pandemic and infectivity rates as soon as they got vaccinated, but our Health Director reminds us otherwise.

General Tan Dr Sri Noor Hisham Abdullah warned Malaysia of another potential surge in Covid-19 infections in the coming weeks as the country sees an uptrend in new cases fuelled by a higher infectivity rate.

“The situation remains a concern as the increase in new cases and Rt (infectivity rate) values from the previous week reflects the potential for Covid-19 transmission into the community, and consequently, a higher risk of exposure to the virus,” he said in a statement.

“The increase in the Rt value is directly proportional to the increase in new Covid-19 cases, especially if proper preventive measures are not taken.”

According to Malay Mail, the country’s infectivity rate is currently 1.05, up from 0.92 on November 6.

The infectivity rate measures how many people an infected person will transmit the virus to on average. A number above 1.0 suggests cases will increase.

“For your information the rise in Rt rate is directly proportional to the rise in new Covid-19 cases especially if prevention measures are not practiced adequately by all parties,” Dr Noor Hisham warned.

“As such society is urged not to be complacent and take active steps to practice preventive measures so that Covid-19 infections in the country can be reduced immediately.”

Dr Azfar Kamal, who was on duty at Sungai Buloh Hospital, tweeted out a warning about the state of Covid-19 patients in the ICU.

Rakyat Malaysia yang dikasihi,
Please be aware that we are expecting next COVID-19 wave in December 2021.There will be surge of cases for the next 2 weeks. Covid Centre is in preparation to anticipate the next wave. Our Active wards / ICU are full with Category 4 & 5 patients.

— AzfarKamal (@Azpapip) November 16, 2021

He followed this up with reminding netizens to keep practicing strict SOPs and avoid close contact, along with a nudge to travellers to get a booster shot as soon as possible.

About an hour later, Azfar tweeted that he was “ordered” to take down the original tweet. He stated that he was “just giving public awareness” and there was “nothing to hide.”

So I was ordered to take down my tweet. I’m just giving Public Awareness, it is important at this time. There is nothing to hide. We must be aware & prepare for any possibility for our health safety / Public safety. I’m sorry, I’ll be firm with my stand today.

— AzfarKamal (@Azpapip) November 16, 2021

Many netizens commended him for his honesty and was proud of him for “taking the right stand.”

Whilst things are opening up all over the country, and with international travel now permitted, it’s important to be mindful of infectivity rates no matter how much we’d like things to return to ‘normal’.

Remember, nature might be healing but Covid-19 is most definitely still out there.