Malaysians urged to mask up as fresh COVID-19 infections spike

Malaysia is experiencing another COVID-19 wave which has seen new infections rise by 16.5 percent to 16,917 cases from the previous week's 14,525 cases between Oct. 23 and 29, caretaker Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told a press conference.

«We are faced with a small wave and we are not certain whether this will change. However, we found that in terms of entry to government hospitals, the most is among those who have mild symptoms. Not serious symptoms,» he said, adding that the use of beds in the intensive care units (ICUs) has increased by 2 percent.

Given the current situation, Khairy said that face mask usage is now «highly recommended» especially as the country will hold a snap general election on Nov. 19.

«Be careful. We are still not mandating masks but it is highly recommended. We highly encourage the use of face masks, especially among those aged 50 years old and above, those with chronic health problems and those with immune system deficiencies,» he said.

Malaysia underwent several lockdowns as part of its efforts to combat the disease between 2020 and April of this year along with a variety of other measures, including a national immunization campaign.