JUST ONE CASE OF COVID-19 YESTERDAY, THE LOWEST SINCE MCO
PUTRAJAYA: The standard operating procedures (SOP) coupled with strict border control will not only help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 infection, but also break the transmission chain of other infectious diseases in the country.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said this on the heels of a significant drop in communicable disease cases nationwide, with more than 60 per cent reduction since the SOP on Covid-19 came into force.
“Although the actions taken are meant to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the SOPs have helped to reduce cases of other infectious disease transmittable by touching and other similar routes of transmission.
“The country recorded a drop of more than 60 per cent of cases involving measles, HFMD and chicken pox throughout the implementation of the Covid-19 SOPs, which among others, encourage the people to practise good personal hygiene and exercise social distancing.
“If we continue to strengthen border control and continue to comply with the SOPs, I believe we can break the transmission chain of other infectious diseases, including the swine flu and H1N1 (Influenza A) in the country.”
Dr Noor Hisham said this yesterday when asked to comment on the measures that would be taken by the ministry to prevent a new type of swine flu that was reportedly discovered in China from reaching Malaysian shores.
“The Veterinary Services Department will issue a statement related to the (measures to prevent the new type of ) swine flu (in the country).”
AFP quoted a study published by a United States science journal on Monday as stating that researchers in China had discovered a new type of swine flu with the potential of becoming a pandemic. The authors of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of
America scientific journal named the new type of swine flu G4.
The new type of virus, the authors said, was genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009.
Malaysia, Dr Noor Hisham said, could maintain zero daily Covid19 transmission for the next 28 consecutive days if the people continue to adhere to guidelines set by the authorities. This follows yesterday’s single new infection case, the lowest since the second wave of the pandemic in the country. It involved a Malaysian returning home from Turkey.
“Today (yesterday) is a good start. The country recorded zero (daily) local transmission. What is important to us right now is to sustain this for the next 28 days.
“If the people continue to adhere to the SOPs, I am sure that we can achieve zero cases for the next 28 days.”
He was asked to comment if the ministry would consider a proposal for the ongoing Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO), scheduled to end on Aug 31, to be lifted earlier.
He said 21 people had been discharged up to noon yesterday, bringing the cumulative number of recoveries to 8,375 cases or 96.9 of the total number of cases.
The number of active Covid-19 cases stood at 144. The Covid-19 death toll remained at 121 since there were no fatalities reported to the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre yesterday.
Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry aimed to open more sectors following the implementation of the RMCO, which came into force since June 10.
“The ministry will continue to keep a close watch on the local Covid-19 transmission cases.”
Apart from continuous monitoring, screening and surveillance of infectious disease and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection cases at health facilities nationwide, Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry would maintain conducting pre-surgery Covid-19 testing and screening.
He described the preoperative Covid-19 testing and screening as a good indicator to reflect community transmission related to the virus.
“The community transmission that has been detected by the ministry via preoperative testing stood at 0.1 per cent. The ministry will continue conducting surveillance as well as boosting capacity at our sentinel clinics and hospitals,” he said.