KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — The National Recovery Council (NRC) will hold meetings more frequently due to the challenges posed by the Omicron variant and the increasing number of Covid-19 infections.

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- The Johor state election can still proceed as planned as the Omicron Covid-19 variant infection proves to be less severe, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.

JAKARTA, Feb 7 — Indonesia has temporarily banned foreign tourists entering the country through Jakarta's airport, the transport ministry said, in a bid to slow a spike in coronavirus infections driven by the Omicron variant.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — Malaysia is fully hit by the Covid-19 Omicron variant wave now, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) will only make recommendations to the government on the reopening of the country’s borders and relaxing the requirements on quarantine period when the booster vaccination among the adult population and the Covid-19 vaccination for kids showed improved rates.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 — Malaysia is seen as better prepared to deal with the surge in Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant and know how to protect the most vulnerable, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 — The Omicron wave has begun in Malaysia and the number of Covid-19 cases in the country is expected to rise, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

NEW YORK, Jan 26 — Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said on Tuesday they started a clinical trial to test a new version of their vaccine specifically designed to target the Covid-19 Omicron variant, which has eluded some of the protection provided by the original two-dose vaccine regimen.

REUTERS, Jan 26 — The Omicron variant appears to result in less severe Covid-19 than seen during previous periods of high coronavirus transmission, including the Delta wave, with shorter hospital stays, less need for intensive care, and fewer deaths, according to a new US study.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 — A total of 186 new Covid-19 cases of the Omicron Variant of Concern (VOC) were reported in Malaysia between Jan 14 and today, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — When Malaysia repeatedly recorded over 10,000 Covid-19 infections daily last year, thanks to the highly infectious Delta variant, some decided it was time to drop the surgical mask and go for a respirator.

KLANG, Jan 16 — There has been no proven public health approach that one should be infected with the Covid-19 Omicron variant to help build herd immunity, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 14 — The omicron variant of coronavirus can help build herd immunity in societies due to its high transmissibility, South African virologists said on Thursday.

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 9 — The approval process for the advertisement of umrah packages has been suspended from January 8, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) said in a statement today.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 — Asean currencies, including the ringgit, are expected to perform well this year after a downward trend against the US dollar last year, said Credit Suisse.

LONDON, Jan 5 — The UK on Tuesday ruled out any new coronavirus-related restrictions, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying that the country has "a chance to ride out this omicron wave" without another lockdown.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 — The government has decided to temporarily suspend the permission for travelling to perform the umrah beginning January 8 to curb the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 — The ringgit retreated from the previous days' gains to end lower against the US dollar today amid rising demand for the safe-haven currency as the rally in equities ease heading towards year-end, dealers said.

PUTRAJAYA, December 25 — Individuals undergoing the seven-day mandatory quarantine after returning from umrah pilgrimage, will be made to wear a digital detection device starting next week, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 25 — The government will announce the new interval for Covid-19 booster shot next week following the spread of the Omicron variant in the country, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.