KOTA TINGGI (April 17): The fourth wave of COVID-19 will only happen if cases involving domestic or local transmission record zero in the current third wave, before the number of cases increases sharply the next day.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said currently the country has not entered the fourth wave of COVID-19 as we have yet to succeed in zeroing cases in the third wave.

“In the last three weeks the number of cases we have recorded has yet to show a decline during the third wave of COVID-19. It has not yet entered the fourth wave.

“The fourth wave of COVID-19 can only occur if the third wave has reached the 'baseline' or zero and then the transmission starts again,” he told Bernama when met at Surau As-Syakirin, Taman Sri Saujana, today.

Dr Adham said the probability of Malaysia experiencing a fourth wave of COVID-19 would be in the event of a decline in compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) among the public, resulting in the emergence of new clusters.