Covid 19: Casual Contact cannot be taken lightly

I feel pleased and excited about the visit to Kuala Lumpur next week, after a long absence to the national capital. I am imagining and looking forward to be dazzled by the delightfully charming of a classic Christmas ground attractions featuring a massive breath-taking of red and silver giant baubles floating in the air– a stunning experience of normal Christmas decorations of lights and colours soaring the selected sites of most of the renown hotels and shopping mall.

But alas, my expectation was shattered by the ‘love letter’ from my MySejahtera informing me that I had become a Casual Contact.

Obviously, I have been in close contact with someone with Covid-19.

What is MySejahtera? Accordingly, it is an application developed by the Government of Malaysia to assist in monitoring Covid-19 outbreak in the country by empowering users to assess their health risk against Covid-19. This application also provides the Ministry of Health (MOH) with the necessary information to plan for early and effective countermeasures. The functions of MySejahtera include but not limited to: i. Allowing users to perform health assessments for family members that do not have access to any smartphone; ii. Providing guidance to users regarding the actions that would be required to be taken in the event they are classified as high-risk individuals toward Covid-19; iii. Providing health tips and updated information regarding Covid-19; iv. Empowering users to be able to identify Covid-19 “hot-spot” locations through the Hotspot Tracker function; v. Empowering users to be able to obtain health advice through phone lines via virtual means; vi. Providing the MySejahtera Check-In function to aid the registration process at the point-of-entry into business premises and offices in a structured and uniform manner; vii. Providing the MySejahtera QR Code function as a Digital Health Passport when leaving home, heading to offices or public spaces; and viii. Fast reference to obtain the Reopening of the Economy Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

Damn! Responsibly that’s call for “voluntary selfquarantine” despite the fact that I am fully vaccinated and I have no sign of any unhealthy symptoms. As a casual contact, who had been within only two meters of someone with Covid19 for less than 15 minutes, fortunately I am considered to be at low risk of contracting Covid-19.

In Malaysia, recent studies revealed that between 5 per cent – 80 per cent of the Covid-19 cases may be Casual Contact but asymptomatic, which means they exhibit no signs and symptoms of Covid 19 but they are exposed to the virus. This group of people, therefore, tends to spread Covid-19 without really knowing it. Hence it is important and imperative to monitor any symptoms within 10 days with or without quarantine.

At this moment, it is not compulsory for a casual contact status person to do swab test in Malaysia, if the individual has no symptoms that suggest a Covid-19 infection.

However, their condition must be logged into the MySejahtera app and their health status will be monitored for 10 days. Compared to a ‘Low Risk’ individual, a casual contact individual has a slightly higher risk of contracting Covid-19.

However, the likelihood of a casual contact individual to be infected by Covid-19 if the present no symptoms remain relatively low.

Dutifully if a casual contact person begins to show any of the following symptoms, he or she is advised to get tested as soon as possible. Most common symptoms are:

• Fever

• Cough

• Lethargy

• Less common symptoms:

• Muscle ache or pains

• Sore throat

• Diarrhoea

• Vomiting

• Headache

• Loss of taste or smell

• Skin rashes

If a casual contact status person is confirmed to be infected with Covid-19, his or her contact classification in MySejahtera will change to ‘Confirmed Case’. Depending on the severity of the infection, the individual may be advised to continue isolating at home or be transported to a Covid19 hospital or facility closest to their home.

Casual contact individual must avoid crowded places and keep a safe distance from others. Taking a flight to another destination is “NO-NO”. We must understand that vaccine provide sufficient immunity and protection for us but does not mean that we are 100 per cent free from infection. Keep in mind never neglect to follow SOP and maintain personal hygiene. While it is important to note that each premise may have its own SOPs and rules, most premises allow casual contact as long as they do not present any symptom such as a fever before entering a premises.

If a casual contact individual tests negative for Covid-19 and does not present any symptom, their contact classification in MySejahtera will return to ‘Low Risk’ after 10 days.

The Covid-19 pandemic demands that we remain vigilant in our daily lives as we return to everyday activities. Lest we overlooked, we can each take some simple steps to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities. The steps are:

• Get a Covid-19 vaccine.

• Wash your hands often with plain soap and water.

• Cover your mouth and nose with a mask when around others.

• Avoid crowds and practice social distancing (stay at least 6 feet apart from others).

Lately, some people and companies are selling products with fraudulent Covid-19 diagnostic, prevention, and treatment claims. Fraudulent Covid-19 products can come in many varieties, including products marketed as dietary supplements or other foods, as well as products claiming to be tests, other medical devices, drugs, or vaccines. The sale of fraudulent Covid-19 products is a threat to the public health. If we are in doubt, we can help by reporting suspected fraud to the relevant authorities. Please stay safe.