The temporary suspension of travel permission to perform the umrah is to slow down the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant as data obtained showed that almost 78 per cent of the "presumptive" new Omicron cases are from those returning from the pilgrimage, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

In a posting on his Twitter account today, he said that according to the Institute for Medical Research (IMR), the "presumptive" Omicron is 100 percent confirmed Omicron through the full genome sequence.

"Risk assessment will continue to be carried out. For now, we (Health Ministry) know a dose of the booster shot...