GEORGE TOWN: The public has been urged to remain calm in the wake of alarming Covid-19 numbers affecting Penang, which recently showed a surge in Covid-19-related deaths and hospital admissions.
Data on the Health Ministry's CovidNow portal showed Penang recording a staggering 125 per cent increase in deaths in two weeks and 28 per cent rise in hospital admissions over the past one week.
Universiti Sains Malaysia's Infectomics Cluster, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute senior lecturer Dr Kumitaa Theva Das said that from Nov 19 until Dec 8, Penang recorded 38 Delta cases (many of which were sporadic) and one Beta case, making it the third highest state with Variants of Concern (VOC) in Malaysia.
"As Delta can cause more severe symptoms and consequently, hospitalisations, that can be a large contributing factor (for the increase in hospital admissions).
"Also, Penang has already recorded quite a few large workplace clusters recently (the fifth highest in the country). As work places open up, we may tend to see increases in cases and hospitalisation if not all standard operating procedures (SOP) are in place," she told the New Straits Times.
However, Dr Kumitaa said the data should be viewed cautiously.
She said that for example, if a state had recorded one death previously, and two deaths the following week, that would be marked as a 100 per cent increase, even when it was one additional death.
"So, it can seem like there is a huge spike when states have kept their numbers low previously, but in reality, it might still be about average.
"Delving deeper into the numbers, Penang actually has nine deaths per 10,000 people, similar to Negri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor and Kedah. In terms of hospital bed utilisation, Penang is currently at 63.4 per cent, below Malaysia's average of 64.8 per cent.
"Taking all this data together, at the moment, it does seem like everything is under control in Penang," she added.
Penang has to date recorded a total of 156,980 Covid-19 cases since March last year, with 1,685 deaths.
There are a total of 2,315 active cases.
Dr Kumitaa also said that while Penang has an 85.5 per cent vaccination rate, which she said was "extremely high", it has to be noted that there can be waning of the immunity around six months after the second dose with the mRNA vaccines and around three months after inactivated vaccines, especially with the Delta variant, which does appeared to be prevalent in Penang.
"As the vaccines are optimised for the earlier variants, in the presence of Delta, it is extremely important to take boosters to bring the antibody levels up again, especially if you are elderly or from a high-risk group.
"Some are hesitant about taking booster shots as they want to understand more about compatibility (for example, they may be offered a different vaccine as a booster from their first two doses).
"Some of the earliest mix and match (heterologous vaccination) results occurred in March. At that time, in some countries, some people who had already received a particular vaccine was offered a different vaccine for their second jab. The results from that demonstrated that mix and match were not only safe, but that they actually provided better protection.
"And now of course, people do have the option of getting the same vaccine, so they can get their boosters with confidence," she said.
Asked whether the Covid-19 situation in Penang may worsen with the year-end holidays and Penang jam-packed with people from around the country, Dr Kumitaa said the people should always be cautious when travelling or on vacation.
She added that even though vaccination rates were high, there remained a possibility of those who were infected but asymptomatic.
"We can keep ourselves safe by wearing well-fitted masks, avoiding crowded places, sanitising often, reducing physical meet-ups, making sure that places are well-ventilated, as well as getting tested as soon as possible when we have any symptoms prior to trips and after trips.
"Regardless of the variant, all of these still hold true and will keep us and our loves ones safe," she said.