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Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Rush for fourth shot as Covid-19 cases rise

Staying protected: Leow Pui Ling, 28, getting her second booster shot at iHEAL Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star

PETALING JAYA: There has been a 51% increase in the number of people being vaccinated over the last two weeks, as new Omicron sub-variants create fears of another Covid-19 wave.

According to figures from ProtectHealth, vaccination went up from 38,822 during the week of June 27-July 3 to 50,774 during the week of July 4-July 10, a 31% increase.

ALSO READ:Better safe than sorry, say those getting second booster

From the week of July 11-July 17, there was a 51% increase to 76,433.

As infections and hospitalisations rise across the country, health experts are also calling for Malaysians, especially those over 60 as well as the medically vulnerable, to get their second booster shot.

This is because the Omicron sub-variants are highly contagious and can bypass immunity from a past infection or vaccination.

Public health expert Prof Dr Moy Foong Ming of Universiti Malaya said the Omicron sub-variant BA.5 could evade antibody responses in people with previous Covid-19 infection and those who had been fully vaccinated and boosted.

“Reinfections may be inevitable but boosters will help provide protection against severe symptoms, hospitalisation and even death.

“Even though the BA.5 does not seem to cause more severe symptoms compared to BA.1 and BA.2, the elderly and vulnerable groups will likely experience severe symptoms,” Prof Moy said.

She cautioned that if the total caseload increases tremendously, even with a low percentage of hospitalisation, the number will be a huge burden on the healthcare system.

“We don’t want to lose precious lives if it can be prevented,” she said.

For those below 60, it may not be necessary to take the second booster at this moment.

“If this group of individuals had received their third dose, they should be well protected from severe symptoms,” said Prof Moy.

“When new vaccines are able to bring a stronger immune response against all new variants, then a second booster may be offered to all.”

Prof Moy also said Malaysians should consider taking a flu shot if they were in the high-risk group, especially those aged 65 and above, and with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and weakened immune system.

Public health expert Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 were known to evade immunity, hence breakthrough infections could occur.

“The risk will be reduced if you obtain another booster,” she said.

“The elderly, immunocompromised, as well as people with morbidities and frontliners should be prioritised for a second booster. But now, even those who are young and have received only two doses should get a third jab,” she said.

Prof Sharifa Ezat also reminded the public to get tested for Covid-19 and influenza if symptomatic, as these can mimic each other and it is possible to get infected with both.

“This impedes recovery. If possible, get vaccinated against both,” she said.

“The government should work on obtaining supply for flu tests and pushing the flu vaccine price down.”

Volunteers For Community Engagement and Empowerment For Covid-19 chairman Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar reminded Malaysians to continue with good personal health practices such as wearing a face mask, avoiding crowded places, self-testing and quarantining if positive with Covid-19, as well as observing a good diet.

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Sunday, July 17, 2022

CoVarScan, new Covid-19 test can identify all variants

Researchers noted that the CoVarScan test detects small mutations to measure the length of repetitive genetic regions that tend to grow and shrink as the virus evolves. — Photo: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/dpa

CoVarScan can identify all current variants of SARS-COV-2 within hours by finding the signatures of eight hotpots on the deadly virus.

The University of Texas (UT) Southwestern researchers have created a rapid Covid-19 test that can identify different variants of the coronavirus in as little as four hours.

The researchers hope doctors can use their test, called CoVarScan, to tailor Covid-19 treatments to patients based on which variant the patients have.

CoVarScan could also be used to track which variants are cropping up in different communities, and even identify new ones.

“It was such a pleasure and, really, an honour to be able to take this skillset, what we have, and build something that has public health utility,” said Andrew Clark, an assistant professor of pathology at UT Southwestern and an author of the study.

The research was published in the journal Clinical Chemistry recently.

Scanning for a specific variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a bit different from a typical rapid test.

Dr Jeff SoRelle, an assistant professor of pathology at UT Southwestern, said a normal rapid Covid-19 test is a bit like going into a library and asking if they have a specific book.

You get a “yes” or “no” answer.

Looking for variants is like reading specific paragraphs in two similar books to figure out whether the books are in their second or third edition.

Between editions, words may be added, deleted or changed altogether.

Finding out which edition of SARS-CoV-2 someone has is usually done by a process called “whole genome sequencing,” where scientists look at the entire viral sequence – or, read the entire book – to figure out where the differences are.

That process can be expensive and takes one to four weeks to produce results.

CoVarScan works by looking at just eight regions, or hotspots, of the SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequence instead.

Each variant looks a little bit different at these hotspots.

Dr SoRelle’s team can analyse each of the regions to identify a unique pattern of mutation that’s specific to each variant.

They’ve also used CoVarScan to identify different subvariants of Omicron.

“They create unique signatures, or fingerprints, of mutations,” Dr SoRelle said. “We can really tell the difference between each of them.”

To make sure CoVarScan was getting it right, the team ran just under 4,000 samples from positive Covid-19 nasal swabs through the test. They checked CoVarScan’s results against results from whole genome sequencing.

Dr SoRelle and his team found that CoVarScan was highly effective at identifying variants correctly.

What makes CoVarScan unique is its ability to not only detect existing variants, but also detect new variants that have yet to develop.

The team began this research in January 2021, before the Delta and Omicron variants existed.

Once they know the genetic sequence of a new variant, CoVarScan can look for the variant’s unique fingerprint of mutations along with the existing ones.

“We wouldn’t necessarily need to change what we do in the testing,” he said. “Just change what we’re looking for.”

Padmapriya Banada, a research assistant professor at Rutgers University who was not involved with the study said CoVarScan’s ability to detect future variants as well as current ones is critically important.

However, one challenge in making CoVarScan more widespread is that it identifies hotspots using scientific equipment that every lab might not have.

She said more work will be necessary to implement CoVarScan at places like schools or doctors’ offices that might not have such technical equipment on hand.

“It does need some technical expertise,” Banada said. “But considering what it offers, it probably overcomes those limitations.”

CoVarScan is already provided to anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and Dr SoRelle is working with Dallas County to see if CoVarScan can help hospitals track what variants are most common in their area. – TNS

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New features on MySejahtera

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PETALING JAYA: MySejahtera has rolled out new features that allow users to check their health records, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

“Health screenings record and our children’s vaccination record can also be seen on MySejahtera.

“Update your app starting from today to have these new features,” he said on his Twitter account yesterday.

In the two pictures alongside his tweet, the health record of a seven-year-old boy, including his latest health report at a clinic, was shown.

In the health report, the boy’s last updated height, weight, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol level, blood glucose level and blood pressure reading were shown, complete with a health screening summary below.

The app also listed the boy’s vaccines and his next vaccine appointment date and time.

A list of upcoming vaccines yet to be administered was also shown.

MySejahtera users can access the features after updating the app on their mobile phones.

Meanwhile, in IPOH, Khairy said users’ data in the MySejahtera app would continue to be secured amid its recent upgrade.

“The app has never been hacked and since we are adding more features, we have done several things to secure it and will continue to do so to ensure the safety of the data.

“The ministry is keeping the data, not others,” he told reporters after launching the Health National Malaysia Agenda road tour at Meru Raya.

“The information can only be shared if the users give their permission,” he added.

Khairy said no data of MySejahtera users were leaked after investigating complaints and reports of unsolicited one-time password (OTP) text messages and spam email from the Covid-19 app’s helpdesk.

Separately, Khairy said more beds would be prepared in hospitals for influenza patients if needed.

“Like during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have prepared beds, so if the influenza cases continue to spike, we can supply more beds.

“Apart from preparing the beds, we will also ensure that there is sufficient stock of medicine in the market so the public need not be admitted into hospitals to recover at home,” he added.

On Friday, Khairy said the ministry had agreed to release the federal stockpile to private hospitals and clinics facing medicine shortages such as for flu and fever, and medication for children.

He also advised the public not to overbuy medicines.

Khairy also said that the ministry focuses on getting at least 1.5 million Malaysians aged 40 and above to get a health screening.

“We believe that’s the figure of those who have not done any health screening before.

“They will go for screening from July to December,” he said, adding that more than 50% of the adult population in the country has never done any health screening.

“The screening is important to prevent and cure any health problems.

“We realised that many might not have the accessibility to go for a health screening, so we will conduct more outreach programmes,” he added. Join our Telegram channel to get our Evening Alerts and breaking news highlights

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Masks will be made optional outdoors from 1 May 2022
Masks are still required indoors and on public transportation
Those who are at high risk of getting Covid-19 (elderly, with comorbidities, unvaccinated children) may choose to continue wearing masks outdoors

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