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Showing posts with label Paxlovid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paxlovid. Show all posts

Monday, September 4, 2023

Watch out for new mutant strain, Omicron Subvariant BA.2.86, nicknamed Pirola

PETALING JAYA: The BA.2.86 subvariant of the Covid-19 virus, known as Pirola, has not landed in Malaysia yet but this newly-detected, highly-mutated variant of Omicron has raised concerns in countries such as the United States and Britain.

Public health expert Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said the BA.2.86 subvariant was highly infectious and could easily spread.

As such, he urged the public to get a booster shot and complete their recommended vaccination schedule.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia professor of public health Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said the subvariant might be potentially more transmissible because its spike protein could undergo up to 30 mutations.

However, she said some experts were of the opinion that it might just pass us by without having a significant effect.

“Treatments such as antivirals like Paxlovid are still efficacious with current strains. Even if people get reinfected by BA.2.86, the immune memory will still allow their immune system to kick in and control the infection far more effectively as many have received their booster doses.

“The current advice is still the same – get your boosters, wear masks in public spaces, wash your hands and maintain good ventilation. It is expected that new vaccines against the new strains will be available soon,” added Prof Sharifa Ezat.

Universiti Putra Malaysia’s associate professor of virology Dr Chee Hui Yee said it was still too early to conclude how dangerous the subvariant was as only some 31 genomic sequences of the Pirola variant had been recorded with the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data.

“Close monitoring and observation are needed and I would like to suggest for Malaysia to do whole genome sequencing on more recent samples to track the variant,” she said.

“We can live our lives as usual, but take more precautions when travelling overseas.”The subvariant has also been found in wastewater samples in several countries, including Britain and Thailand.

First found in Denmark in July, the subvariant has also been detected in South Africa, Portugal, Thailand, Sweden, Switzerland and Canada.

The United States is also expecting updated versions of Covid-19 vaccines that have been tweaked to enable the body to ward off the current variants. In the meantime, Britain is fast-tracking its flu and Covid-19 vaccination drive for care home residents and those immunocompromised as a precautionary measure.While studies are ongoing to ascertain the traits and the effects of Pirola, sore throat, cough, headaches and a runny or blocked nose are said to be some of the symptoms.

On Aug 30, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was monitoring the Pirola variant, adding that it was still too soon to ascertain its impact and degree of transmissibility.Based on an examination of Pirola’s mutation profile, the CDC said treatments such as Paxlovid, remdesivir and molnupiravir would be effective.

In the Yale Medicine Bulletin published on Aug 31, infectious disease specialist Dr Scott Roberts said the strain had been detected in at least six countries and that the cases were unrelated.

This, he said, suggested that there was some degree of transmission in the international community that had not been detected.Dr Roberts said with a greater degree of herd immunity as a result of infection and vaccination, the world was not as vulnerable to severe illness or infection from the coronavirus as it was at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

“Since the original version of SARS-CoV-2, many people have got infected, and many have been boosted. However, for many of us, it might have been a year or more since we’ve had a booster, so I would encourage everyone to get the updated shot, which is expected to come out in mid-September,” he added.

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Saturday, July 9, 2022

Latest Covid-19 Omicron BA.5 variant has landed Malaysia!

 

Malaysia entering new Covid-19 wave as Omicron BA.5 variant hits

Malaysia is entering a new Covid-19 wave, with the Omicron BA.5 variant already present in the country.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the ministry had already detected five BA.5 variants through genomic sequencing as of June 30.

"This means that BA.5 is already present in the country. These cases were found through genomic sequencing on positive cases between May and June.

"There is a big possibility that BA.5 has already spread widely in Malaysia," he told a press conference at Parliament today.

Meanwhile, Khairy said the country has seen a 31 per cent increase in Covid-19 cases from July 3 to 7.

He informed that hospitalisations had also increased by 13.7 per cent, from 835 patients last week to 968 patients this week.

"A majority of the cases are in categories one and two. This is something that we have expected," he said.

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KUALA LUMPUR: Five cases of the fast-spreading Covid-19 Omicron BA.5 variant have been detected in the country, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

He warned the public that the ministry expected the number of Covid-19 cases to rise in the next few weeks as the newer Omicron variants spread easily.

ALSO READ: KJ: We may issue compounds if cases spike

Apart from these five cases, other cases of Omicron sub-lineage variants that have been detected were six cases of BA.2.12.1 and two incidents of BA.5.2.

“All these cases were detected between May and June. However, there are no cases of sub-lineage Omicron BA.4 recorded so far.

ALSO READ: Bracing for another wave of Covid-19 infections

“We are expecting that new infections will increase due to Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, especially the BA.5. This is because Omicron BA.5 spreads easily compared with previous Omicron variants BA.1 and BA.2,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

Khairy said the new Covid-19 wave should not be taken lightly as 4,020 cases were reported just on July 7.

ALSO READ: Many having second thoughts on second booster

From July 3 to 7, the ministry had already recorded 14,967 cases, which is an increase of 31% compared with the previous week’s 11,394 cases, he added.

There was also a 13.7% increase in hospital admissions to 968 patients during this period from the 835 patients in the previous week. Ten deaths were recorded.

He added that those who have completed their Covid-19 vaccination or had been infected previously could also be infected with this variant.

“Those who have not taken their booster, especially senior citizens and people who have comorbidities, should get their booster shot, as it is vital against the new wave of Omicron BA.5.

“A total of 7,393,199 (31.40%) people have not taken their first booster shot while 151,018 (6.06%) individuals have received their second booster shot as at July 7,” he said.

Khairy also said that the ministry’s technical committee was still looking into the need for a second booster shot among those aged 60 and below without any illnesses, while vaccination for those aged five years and below was still not recommended.

However, he said there were some people who used a loophole with the excuse of travelling to get a second booster shot.

The second booster is available free of charge at registered private vaccination centres listed at https://vaksincovid.protecthealth.com.my/find.

For those aged 18 to 59 in the immunocompromised category, Khairy advised they undergo an evaluation first before getting the second booster shot.

He also said that as at July 3, 4,001 patients who have taken the Paxlovid antiviral medicine showed no serious side effects. 

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Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Covid-19 patients can get antiviral drug Paxlovid for Free

 

 

More than 1,300 patients have recovered from Covid-19 with no side effects after taking Paxlovid, says health minister Khairy Jamaluddin. (Reuters pic)

 

PETALING JAYA: The antiviral drug Paxlovid will be available for free to Covid-19 patients at private health facilities, says the Health Minister.

Khairy Jamaluddin said the drug has been available at these facilities since Monday, and his ministry had distributed the circulars and guidelines on the expansion and use of the drug to private healthcare on June 16.

ALSO READ: Covid-19: Over 1,300 patients recovered after Paxlovid treatment, says KJ

“The provision of the drug to patients at private health facilities is free. However, patients are still subject to consultation charges and other related charges determined by the private health facility,” he added.

Paxlovid is the first oral antiviral drug available in Malaysia that treats Covid-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms or Categories 2 and 3.

Khairy said priority would be given to the high-risk group of Covid-19 patients.

ALSO READ: Covid-19: Over 1,300 patients recovered after Paxlovid treatment, says KJ

The use of the antiviral drug started in health facilities under the ministry on April 15.

Meanwhile, Khairy also said 107,844 individuals aged 12 and above had received their second Covid-19 booster jab as of Monday.

He added that 57,834 out of the total were individuals aged 60 and above.

ALSO READ: Covid-19: Health Ministry to prepare 3,000 courses of Paxlovid ahead of haj season

“We encourage senior citizens and individuals with chronic conditions to get the second booster. To date, we have not received any reports on severe side effects following the second booster shot,” he told a media conference after launching the ministry’s Hospital Directors Conference at a hotel here.

Covid-19 cases will fluctuate, and a potential new infection wave might emerge in the next few months, although the current situation is under control, said Khairy.

“Perhaps we can expect a new wave within the next two and three months, but the magnitude is still unknown.

“Based on epidemiological developments in other countries, a new wave could be ahead,” he added, encouraging high-risk individuals to be inoculated with the fourth Covid-19 vaccine shot.

ALSO READ: Covid-19: Paxlovid antiviral to be free, enough supply to treat 48,000 patients

Commenting on the rebooted immunisation programme for kids (PICKids), the minister said the decision was taken as the ministry found that there were children who had not received information on the previous immunisation programme.

“As PICKids was announced to be ending for those children above five years old, the ministry realised that there are pockets of the population which had not received information on Covid-19 vaccines.

“The ministry is now helping these groups get access to Covid-19 vaccination at its health clinics,” he added.

Khairy said that 397 kids were inoculated on the first day of the five-day campaign, of whom 150 had just turned five.

On Sunday, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali announced PICKids would reopen from Monday until Friday in conjunction with the 2022 National Immunisation Week. 

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Paxlovid Now Available For Free In Private Hospitals