38 screened at drive-through screening facility since Tuesday
The Covid-19 drivethrough screening centre at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) City Campus here, which opened Tuesday, has received 38 individuals as of 1pm yesterday, said its doctorin-charge Dr Mohammad Halfi Mustafa. He said individuals who are from the estimated 2,400 close or casual contacts of positive Covid-19 patients were among those who came for screening. “They were asked to come here instead of us picking them up from home. This is the first initiative done by the action team which was announced by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah. “The action team is led by the former state health director Dr Jamilah Hashim who has been instructed to locate those who have not gone for screening yet, and to ask them to do the screening. “We have the list of contacts,” he said when met yesterday at Unimas City Campus, Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce. The drive-through centre was opened to facilitate screening of close and casual contacts of Covid-19 cases, especially those in Kuching and Samarahan, who have yet to undergo testing. Uggah on Tuesday explained the facility will make it easier for the people to come for testing, and not crowd the Youth and Sports Complex and Sarawak General Hospital. Dr Mohammad said for those on the contact list who are unable to go to the drive-through centre due to transportation issues or other valid reasons, Health Ministry personnel will be dispatched to their homes to screen them.
He added he believed that some of the close or casual contacts did not want to go for screening at the Youth and Sports Complex either out of fear or because of the long wait involved.
“If they do it here (drivethrough centre), it is comfortable and they only need to drive through. They need not come out of their vehicle; our staff assisted by Unimas medical staff will assist to screen them, and they can go home right a er that,” he said.
According to him, there are about 50 staffers at the campus who take turns to carry out screenings.
The drive-through screening centre is open from 8.30am to 3.30pm daily.