New Covid-19 Virus Strain Discovered In Malaysia Is “10 Times” More Infectious

By Ammar Haziq  •  17 Aug 2020 in News

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A new mutation of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in Malaysia and it is “10 times” more infectious. However, experts say there is no reason to be alarmed.

Yesterday, the Health Ministry detected a D614G-type mutation of the COVID-19 in the culture tests of samples taken from three cases linked to the Sivagangga cluster and one from the Ulu Tiram cluster, said Dr. Hisham.

He encourages the public to be more vigilant and continue practising safety health measures like social distancing and wearing a face mask.

“It is found to be 10 times more infectious and is easily spread by and individual ‘super spreader’,” he said about the mutation.

Dr Hisham said tests by the Institute of Medical Research, which discovered the mutation, were preliminary and that follow-up tests are being conducted on other cases including the new clusters.

He also notes that the discovery of the D614G mutation could show if existing vaccine research would be ineffective against the new strain.

However, he said the COVID-19 situation in the country is under control and that the Health Ministry, along with other agencies are swift in making sure the virus does not spread.