If You’re Boosted, You Don’t Need To Quarantine After Close Contact
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the Covid booster shot or 3 doses of the vaccine provides more than 90% protection against the disease.
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The Health Ministry (KKM) updated its Covid-19 quarantine guidelines for “close contact” cases starting 1 March.
TLDR; If you’ve had close or direct contact with someone who’s confirmed positive with coronavirus, your home quarantine period or Home Surveillance Order (HSO) will be determined by the number of vaccine shots you’ve had.
Those who’ve already received their “booster” shots, i.e. 3 inoculations, DO NOT need to quarantine themselves if they are ASYMPTOMATIC or not feeling sick, and are required to perform a self RTK(Ag) test on themselves on DAY 1 and DAY 3 after having close contact with the infected.
Those who are symptomatic or feeling sick are required to quarantine themselves for 5 DAYS. The quarantine ends if a self RTK(Ag) test taken on DAY 5 is negative.
“Fully vaccinated” persons or those who’ve only received 2 inoculations must quarantine themselves for 5 DAYS after close contact, regardless if they’re experiencing symptoms of Covid or not. The quarantine ends if a self RTK(Ag) test taken on DAY 5 is negative.
People who’re “partially vaccinated” (received 1 inoculation) and those who remain unvaccinated must quarantine themselves for 7 DAYS. The quarantine ends on DAY 7 of a self-test is negative.
KKM Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar explained that receiving the Covid booster shot or 3 doses of the vaccine provides people with more than 90% protection against the disease.
Boosted asymptomatic close contacts will not have to quarantine from 1st March 2022. 3 doses give you more than 90% protection against COVID-19 infection. Get boosted. pic.twitter.com/jqJQZnsA6u
— Khairy Jamaluddin 🇲🇾🌺 (@Khairykj) February 25, 2022
He encouraged people to get themselves boosted ASAP and told the press that evidence shows that the viral load or the level of infective particles inside someone that could cause infection in others, is lower for those who’ve been fully vaccinated.
Based on the current data, we found that the incubation period of the Omicron variant is three days before an individual develops symptoms or tests positive for Covid-19. Current data on the various variants also show that the viral load reduces for those fully vaccinated (if they contract Covid-19), and we assume that it also applies to individuals who have taken their booster shots during the ongoing Omicron wave. Based on the Health Ministry’s risk assessment, we found that asymptomatic cases are less likely to have a higher viral load.
KKM Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar via New Straits Times
Meanwhile, KKM has extended the deadline for people to get the booster shot from 28 February to 31 March.
Starting 1 April people who haven’t received their booster shots will have their fully vaccinated status changed to “incomplete”.
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