Health ministry okays Johor polls amid Covid spike due to ‘less severe’ Omicron

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today said the Johor state election had been given the green light by his ministry in light of the less severe nature of the Omicron variant, despite fierce spikes in Covid-19 cases over the past few days.

However, he said the polls would need to follow the SOPs to be announced.

“For the Johor state election, the health ministry and I have submitted our recommendations to the National Security Council and the Election Commission,” he said at a press conference.

“Given that Omicron so far appears less severe than Delta, the election can proceed.”

The Johor legislative assembly was dissolved on Jan 22 with the consent of Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.

Khairy had previously said that the SOPs for the Johor polls would differ from those for the recent Melaka and Sarawak elections given the emergence of the Omicron variant.

Speaking today, he urged the people, especially the senior citizens, to receive their booster shots as a protective measure against Omicron.

He said while nearly 53% of adults had received a booster jab, 32% or about a million senior citizens had yet to do so.

“The health ministry has also found resistance from Sinovac recipients to receiving Pfizer or AstraZeneca booster jabs,” he said, adding that some 3.5 million individuals initially inoculated with Sinovac had yet to receive a booster shot.

“The health ministry has therefore decided to allow the option of receiving Sinovac as a booster shot by appointment, although data shows that Pfizer and AstraZeneca are more effective.”

He added that the Sinovac jab would be given as a booster shot on a first come, first served basis.