Malaysian senior minister Hishammuddin tests positive for COVID-19

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Senior Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has tested positive for COVID-19, his office confirmed in a statement on Tuesday (Feb 22). 

“As an individual who has already received the booster dose, he will undergo isolation in line with current regulations set by the Ministry of Health,” the statement said.

Mr Hishammuddin, who is also defence minister, undergoes regular reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing and self-testing via the antigen rapid test, the statement added. 

“The last time he underwent the RT-PCR test and received a negative test was on Friday, Feb 18,” it said. 

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The statement said that Mr Hishammuddin will continue to monitor and carry on with his work throughout the isolation period. 

The minister also wrote on Twitter: "Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God), I am in good condition at the moment."

The Sembrong MP was recently fined for breaching COVID-19 health protocols at an event in Johor on Feb 13.  

A video of the political event circulating on social media showed Mr Hishammuddin and other politicians walking among a crowd with minimal social distancing.

Opposition lawmaker Hannah Yeoh had called for the government to remove Mr Hishammuddin from his duty of chairing the COVID-19 Quartet Ministerial Meeting.

However, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob maintained that the fine issued to Mr Hishammuddin was not for a criminal offence and therefore, there is no need for the senior minister to resign from his post. 

“Breaching of health protocols is not a crime. It has nothing to do with crime. And the health minister has said that compounds will be issued,” Mr Ismail Sabri had said.  

Malaysia is reporting a high number of COVID-19 cases amid the spread of the Omicron variant, with daily caseload hitting more than 20,000. 

On Saturday, Malaysia confirmed a record high daily new COVID-19 cases of 28,825. Monday’s 25,099 new cases brought the total cases since the pandemic to about 3.25 million. 

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said in a press conference last week that while the number of COVID-19 cases has increased, the number of deaths has not grown in tandem. 

This is a different situation from how the numbers spiked when the Delta variant hit Malaysia in August last year, he said.