‘Data shows dip in infections among elderly with NIP rollout’
KUALA LUMPUR: There are early signs of the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme’s (NIP) effectiveness in reducing serious infections among senior citizens.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said based on Sungai Buloh Hospital’s latest data up to Sunday, Categories 4 and 5 cases among senior citizens had seen a decline since the 23rd epidemiology week.
“The downtrend is in line with the rollout of Phase 2 of the NIP in early April and early signs are seen in the 22nd epidemiology week.
“The (Health) Ministry has announced that starting July 17, all senior citizens aged 60 and above who have yet to receive their (vaccination) appointment dates can walk in to any vaccination centres (PPV) in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor to get vaccinated on the same day,” he said yesterday.
He said PPVs would stay open on weekends and public holidays. “This is in line with the ministry’s commitment to achieve herd immunity as soon as possible. The rakyat are advised to go for their appointment on the given date and venue, as well as fully comply with the standard operating procedures throughout the vaccination process.”
Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said 31 new Covid-19 clusters were identified yesterday, involving 18 workplace clusters, eight community clusters, two high-risk group clusters, two detention centre clusters and one imported cluster, totalling 1,080 cases so far.
He said daily new Covid-19 cases remained above the 10,000 mark yesterday, with 10,972 new infections reported up to noon, bringing the cumulative total to 927,533, with 128,997 active cases.
He said of the new cases, 48 were imported, involving 40 people in Selangor and four each in Kuala Lumpur and Johor. Of the new cases, 98.5 per cent, or 10,801 cases, had mild to no symptoms, involving 6,331 patients under Category 1 (asymptomatic) and 4,464 under Category 2 (mild symptoms).
“A total of 103 cases are under Category 3, those who have pneumonia. Forty-two people need oxygen support, which puts them under Category 4, and 26 cases require ventilator support.”
Selangor remained the state with the highest number of new Covid-19 cases, at 4,404 infections, followed by Negri Sembilan with 1,340 and Johor with 876.
Kedah recorded 705 cases, followed by 651 in Sabah, 609 in Kuala Lumpur, 475 in Pahang, 474 in Melaka, 426 in Penang, 324 in Perak, 301 in Sarawak, 170 in Kelantan, 144 in Terengganu, 48 in Putrajaya, 24 in Labuan and one in Perlis. New deaths totalled 129 yesterday, involving 118 Malaysians and 11 foreigners, bringing the cumulative death toll to 7,148.
“Sixty-one deaths were recorded in Selangor, 14 in Kedah, 11 in Kuala Lumpur, 10 each in Negri Sembilan and Melaka, nine in Johor, three each in Sarawak and Terengganu, two each in Sabah, Penang and Perak and one each in Kelantan and Labuan,” Dr Noor Hisham said.
He said 915 patients were in intensive care, with 435 of them intubated. There were 6,439 new recoveries yesterday, bringing the cumulative total to 791,388.
He said the R-naught (Rt), or infectivity rate, in Malaysia had slightly declined to 1.15.
“Terengganu remains the state with the highest Rt at 1.27.
“States with Rt above 1.0 are Putrajaya at 1.26, Kedah at 1.24, Sabah at 1.21, Selangor at 1.17, Penang and Pahang at 1.16, Negri Sembilan and Kuala Lumpur at 1.15, Melaka, Johor and Perak at 1.12 and Kelantan at 1.10.”