KUALA LUMPUR: After two years of battling the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysians are starting to return to their normal lifestyle, albeit under the new normal by adhering to the standard operating procedure (SOP).
But are Malaysians ready to embrace the endemic phase?
Occupational health, emergency and public health expert Dr Hanafiah Bashirun from Hospital Kasih Cyberjaya said there were two groups of people – one that was still seriously bothered by the Covid-19 threat and another which could not wait to enjoy greater freedom.He said Malaysians generally preferred more freedom and were willing to accept the new phase in their lives.
“The Malaysian mentality won’t change. In fact, they are happy to accept this freedom rather than being trapped in the restrictions,” he told Bernama.
However, he cautioned that it is important for Malaysians to adhere to the SOP to ensure the infection rate is capped at a minimum.
On the possibility of new variants emerging after Omicron, Dr Hanafiah said: “There is a chance that humans have already developed natural herd immunity against the virus with vaccination providing added protection.”
He said people need not worry too much about new variants as the government had drawn up plans to deal with a possible surge in cases in the future.
Senior lecturer and epidemiologist from Universiti Putra Malaysia Assoc, Prof Dr Malina Osman, said the main criterion for transitioning to the endemic phase is the country’s ability to handle cases.
Dr Malina, who is also a public health expert, said as long as Malaysia’s healthcare system was not compromised, it would be able to function optimally in dealing with new cases to safeguard the health of the people.
“It depends on the people whether they are ready to move into the new phase, as the situation in an endemic phase is relatively different from a pandemic in terms of the risk of infection.
“The government will make some preparations for that, particularly when we have to protect those who are not able to be vaccinated,” she said.