He said nearly 90% of those who died did not know that they had been infected with Covid-19.

Hayati said 65 BID cases were recorded in Kedah from Jan 1 to March 12, and 86.2% of those deaths involved individuals who had not received their booster shots.

“They had already completed two doses of vaccines, but had not taken the third dose. If any person experiences symptoms such as fever, flu and sore throat, please do the RTK-antigen (RTK-Ag) self-test.

“I hope the people do not take this situation lightly. They had symptoms but did not want to get tested, and eventually died,” he said.

Berita Harian reported that Hayati said discussions with the Kedah mufti’s office and the Kedah Islamic Religious Council (MAIK) will be held to create awareness on the importance of taking booster doses.

He said that mosques would be used as a platform to convey information and create awareness on the importance of the boosters.

“In Kedah, the number of individuals who receive booster shots is very low, especially among the Malays.

“I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s due to inaccurate news spread on social media. That’s why we feel mosques should play a role in inviting people to take up booster shots,” he said.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST DATA ON THE COVID-19 SITUATION IN MALAYSIA