The coordinating minister for the programme said that once the variant spreads, some of the vaccines will not be effective against it and the rate of virus transmission will go up.

He said the National Security Council needs to review some of the flexibility given so that the programme would not be affected.

“My greatest worry is the variant of the virus. Yesterday, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah announced that there were already 17 cases of the South African variant in Malaysia and we know that this particular variant is not only more transmissible but the vaccines are less effective against it.

“If we are non-observant of the standard operating procedures, the fourth wave will be worse than the third,” he told a press conference after visiting the vaccination centre at the Seremban City Council hall here.

Previously, Noor Hisham reported that nine cases of the variant had been found at the Kebun Baru cluster in Kuala Langat; three cases each at the Jalan Lima cluster in Hulu Langat and Sepang; one case at the Teknologi Emas cluster in Kuala Langat; and one case after close contact screening.