KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is fully hit by the COVID-19 Omicron variant wave now, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

In a tweet today, he said the number of daily COVID-19 cases is expected to hit 15,000 a day soon.

"There are still one million senior citizens in the country who have not received a booster dose. Please inform your beloved parents to get a booster dose immediately," he said.

He was responding to a Twitter post by Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah who shared the susceptible, exposed, infectious, and recovered (SEIR) model image of the daily COVID-19 infections and forecasts cases between Aug 31 and March 31 this year.

In another tweet, Khairy called on the public to take their booster shots and stressed the main purpose of the COVID-19 vaccine was to reduce the severity of symptoms.

"With a booster dose, you have better protection against serious symptoms that can lead to hospitalisation/ICU (intensive care unit) admission. Take the booster," he said.

The number of new COVID-19 cases in the country today exceeded the 10,000 mark, with 10,089 cases reported as of 12 noon, bringing the cumulative number of cases to 2,914,220.

-- BERNAMA