JOHOR BARU, May 7 — Former Johor state assemblyman Dr Boo Cheng Hau has called for the improvement towards public healthcare and civic awareness, following a protracted global emergency from the Covid-19 pandemic that was only lifted by the World Health Organisation on Friday.
“With that, we have to upgrade our education and health systems to a more advanced stage to face any future public health and socioeconomic challenges,” he toldDr Boo particularly cautioned that Covid-19’s new Arcturus strain and other newer variants might render the first-generation vaccine ineffective or less effective.
that 12 cases of Covid-19 XBB.1.16 subvariant, also known as the Arcturus variant, have been reported in Malaysia. All patients were suffering from mild symptoms and were in stable conditions, she reportedly said. In late 2020, Dr Boo contracted the Covid-19 virus where he managed to detail his quarantine and recovery process that had a following on his Facebook.On the current situation where the Covid-19 pandemic is over, Dr Boo reminded Malaysians that they should still expect the situation to be endemic.
“Basically it is important to update to the latest vaccine version as the virus would usually mutate rapidly,” he said, adding that the previous vaccines may not be able to offer much protection over the newer mutated strains. “When the Covid-19 pandemic shifted into the endemic stage and with the vast majority of the population vaccinated, most deaths are usually related to comorbidities such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, and other chronic diseases.