If preventative measures regarding the umrah pilgrimage had not been taken, it is estimated the daily number of Covid-19 cases in the country would have crossed 15,000 between January and February.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said even if Omicron cases tend to be milder than Delta variant cases, an increase in cases would lead to an increased hospitalisation rate.

This would in turn burden the country’s healthcare system which is just starting to recover from the previous Covid-19 wave, he said.

“We conducted a simulation for Omicron and the prediction is...