PETALING JAYA: Home quarantine should be the last resort for Covid-19 patients, health experts said yesterday.
Epidemiologist and public health expert Datuk Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud said it is not the most ideal strategy but in places such as Sabah, it may be the only option available.
“It may be forced upon us if the initial containment measures are not aggressive enough (to prevent more infections),” he told theSun yesterday.
He was commenting on a statement by Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah that the government may be forced to allow low-risk patients to undergo treatment at home if the situation deteriorates.
The number of new infections surpassed the 1,000-mark for the first time on Saturday, since the Covid-19 pandemic began early in the year.
In the past few days, it has swung within the 700 to 900 range, with Sabah accounting for the bulk of new infections.
Noor Hisham had earlier said that if there were insufficient beds at quarantine centres, it may become necessary for asymptomatic patients to stay at home.
However, he also stressed that this is only a consideration. “There is no need for it yet because the rate of recoveries has also been increasing rapidly.”
Awang Bulgiba said home isolation is a strategy that had been adopted in most countries in the West, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and France, as well as in China.
Awang Bulgiba also warned that there were high risks involved in forcing a patient to stay at home.
“Firstly, we must make sure that it is possible to keep the patient isolated at home. Family members must understand the risks.”
Malaysian Medical Association president Datuk Dr M. Subramaniam believes that the risks associated with home quarantine are far too great.
He said Sabah should instead work with relevant agencies to source for suitable facilities that can be turned into quarantine centres.
