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PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry (MOH) expects a spike of positive Covid-19 cases after the Aidilfitri celebration but a majority of cases are in categories one and two, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. 

He said the MOH had observed the trend of Covid-19 cases for the past two months and found that 99.5 per cent of them were in categories one and two with no symptoms and mild symptoms, and even positive case admissions to hospitals and intensive care units (ICUs) as well as the use of ventilators were decreasing and the number of deaths was also on the decline.

He added that excess mortality due to Covid-19 in 2020 and the first six months of 2021 was low compared with before the pandemic and found a surge in excess mortality in July and August last year.

“However, the excess mortality was successfully brought down in August and the following month with high vaccination coverage with the adult population exceeding 99 per cent, adolescents at 92 per cent and booster doses approaching 70 per cent.

“This gives them the confidence to open up all sectors and return to the seemingly pre-pandemic but the fight is not over. MOH is still using four methods of dealing with Covid-19, namely with vaccination coverage, antiviral drugs, still maintaining the use of face masks in confined places and in open but crowded places is still encouraged as well as performing self-tests if there are symptoms,” he told the media after spending time with healthcare staff at the Putrajaya Hospital who were on duty on the first day of Syawal, here today.