M'sia has not failed to overcome Covid – Ismail

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has yet to fail in managing the Covid19 pandemic, said Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in addressing allegations of the government's perceived failure regarding the matter by various parties.

The Senior Minister (Security) said although there were those who claimed the country had failed following a spike in cases, with daily infections reaching four-digit figures, the truth was actually the opposite.

"We have succeeded once but we have not failed yet. Based on research done by Lowy Institute, a think tank based in Sydney, Australia, regarding Malaysia's effectiveness in managing Covid19, Malaysia is ranked 16th out of 98 countries,” he said at the media conference on the Movement Control Order (MCO) development yesterday.

He said Malaysia was ranked higher than several famous countries in Asia, including Japan and South Korea, with a score of 71 per cent. He also denied that the government did not have a strategic plan to combat the pandemic, as claimed by some parties.

Ismail Sabri said the Health Ministry (MOH) and the National Security Council (MKN) had also outlined 15 strategic plans that he personally announced on Tuesday.

It includes five strategies under the Strategic Plan through the MOH, including breaking the transmission chain, reducing morbidity and deaths, strengthening diagnostics and surveillance, achieving herd immunity, increasing awareness of the culture of new norms.