Backlog of cases leads to spike in Selangor – MB

SHAH ALAM: The surge in Covid-19 cases in Selangor announced by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday, was due to the backlog of cases from the screening at factories, prisons, clinics and private hospitals, that were not reported in real time.

Selangor Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari in a statement yesterday said, the backlog of cases was over the past 10 days.

"To overcome this problem, the Selangor State Health Department (JKNS) will impose compounds on private clinics or hospitals that do not report positive cases directly on the same day through the Public Health Laboratory Information System (SIMKA)," he said.

Amirudin said the issue was brought up by JKNS at the State Security Special Committee Meeting for Covid-19 Control on Friday, following the sharp increase in daily new Covid-19 cases as announced by the MOH.

At the same time, he said, the state government would implement the ‘Preventing Outbreak at Ignition Site' (POIS) programme in factories statewide, as they have been identified as the cause of widespread Covid-19 transmission.

He said POIS would be implemented in collaboration with JKNS, Selgate Corporation Sdn Bhd, all local authorities (PBT) and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM).

Amirudin said the state government had also proposed that the federal government take firm action by closing factories that hide positive cases on their premises and do not cooperate in close contact tracking.

Meanwhile the state government also plans to increase the number of Covid-19 Assessment Centres (CAC) especially in Petaling, Hulu Langat and Gombak districts and the role of these centres was to assess Covid-19 patients and classify them according to certain categories before they are taken to quarantine centres or hospitals for further treatment.