Latest Procedures for Positive & Close Contact COVID-19 Cases

To combat the spread of COVID-19 infection, Malaysia's Ministry of Health (MOH) has revised its procedures for positive COVID-19 cases under the Infectious Diseases Prevention And Control Act 1988.

These new protocols take into effect on Sunday, January 16, 2022, and apply to those under isolation or quarantine. However, existing protocols for dealing with visitors arriving in Malaysia are still in effect.

Individuals who have already gotten the booster dosage will be on an isolation period for five days. Those who are fully or partially vaccinated, or unvaccinated - including Omicron cases - will be isolated for seven days.

MOH re-evaluated the observation time after analysing scientific evidence as well as how other countries handle positive and close contact situations, and came to the following conclusion:

 

Latest protocol for positive Covid-19 cases

The following is the isolation order for patients infected with ALL variants:

1. Individuals who are fully vaccinated and have no symptoms must be isolated for seven days.

2. Individuals with incomplete vaccinations or symptomatic cases must be on quarantine for ten days.

Before discharge, a health examination will be performed.

 

Close contacts protocol

The following are the isolation orders for close contacts of positive Covid-19 cases, including Omicron cases:

1. Individuals who have already received the booster dose will be isolated for five days.

2. Individuals who are fully vaccinated and partially or not vaccinated must be isolated for seven days.

3. If you're experiencing symptoms, get an RTK-Ag test done at home or a nearby health centre for additional treatment.

4. You must submit the self-test results to the Mysejahtera application.

5. On the fifth and seventh days, take the RTK-Ag test, either at a government or commercial institution.

6. If the test comes up negative and the person is asymptomatic, the quarantine will be lifted on the same day as the test is done.

 

The following is an overview of the quarantine protocols for positive case close contacts, organised by vaccination status:

The Ministry of Health also advises that anyone eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine get the booster dosage to get the most protection.

New features for more efficient handling and tracing of positive COVID-19 instances have been added to the MySejahtera application:

1. The check-out module has been replaced with a new feature in the MySejahtera application that uses Bluetooth technology to detect positive case close contact.

2. This feature is the product of collaboration between MOSTI, MOH, and several other government entities; 

3. The app also complies with the MOH's monitoring program's requirements:

   1. It's known as Find, Trace, Test, Isolate, and Support (FTTIS). It aims to prevent and control the Covid-19 transmission.

4. Users of MySejahtera must: 

   1. Always enable the Bluetooth function; and

   2. To get MySJ Trace, you'll need to update the app.

5. The government guarantees the security and confidentiality of the entire contact tracking and data storing process.

 

Source: MOH