PUTRAJAYA: Despite a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia, the Health Ministry is confident that it will be able to manage the numbers without having to introduce restrictions.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the ministry has prepared a five-point strategy to deal with the situation.
These include early case detection via the Heightened Alert System, community tracing via test, report, isolate, inform and seek (TRIIS) system, monitoring of health facilities, effective risk communication and digitisation of the health system via the MySejahtera app.
Dzulkefly said he is aware of the concerns among Malaysians about the rising number of Covid cases in the country and has expressed hope that the situation could be resolved.
“For the time being, there have been no discussions on reinstating the movement control order. We want to deal with the current situation without having to repeat restrictions such as those at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020,” he told a press conference yesterday.
He added that a total of 20,696 Covid-19 cases were reported, an increase of 62.2% compared with the total number of cases recorded in the 49th epidemiological week.
“The latest figures of infection were recorded in the 50th epidemiological week from Dec 10 to 16. Cases that require treatment in intensive care units were 151, of which 96 required assistive devices for breathing. There were 28 fatalities recorded, with a death rate of 0.1%. The highest mortality was among those aged 60 and above (85%) and those who have comorbidities (93%).”
Dzulkekly said the majority of cases (97%) were in categories one and two.
“There is nothing to be alarmed about, but don’t take things lightly. We are getting ready for any eventuality.”
He also gave an assurance that government health facilities were capable of handling the rise in cases and were ready to mobilise other facilities if required.
“The ministry will continue to closely monitor hospital capacity and we are ready to face any surge in patient admissions.
“We are also ready to mobilise and reinforce facilities and non-Health Ministry agencies such as teaching hospitals, military hospitals, private facilities and NGOs.”
Dzulkefly added that Malaysians are advised to wear face masks while individuals with symptoms should avoid the 3Cs, namely crowds, congested areas and close contact with others.
He said detailed information on the current infection situation and the spread of the disease in the country would be uploaded at https://data.moh.gov.my, and the data would be updated weekly.
