Dr Annuar: Make sure Sarawak’s Covid-19 infectivity rate stays below 1

Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Dr Annuar Rapaee has urged everyone to continue working together to ensure that the Covid-19 infectivity rate (R0) in Sarawak does not reach 1.

He noted that Malaysia recorded an R0 of 1.14 and Sarawak, 0.98, on May 13 which was at the danger zone.

“Everyone plays an important role to make sure that the cases can continue to go down and to make sure that the R0 will decrease. I urge everyone especially during this festive season, and with Gawai also coming, to be very careful and make sure that we do not reach an R0 of 1. For Sibu, the cases had slowed down at Week 13, then we started to be complacent so that is why our cases went up again,” he said via Facebook Live on Sunday night.

R-naught (Ro) represents, on average, the number of people that a single infected individual can be expected to transmit that disease to. The lower the value, the less likely an infection will take place for each positive case.

Dr Annuar, who is Sibu Division Disaster Management Committee (SDDMC) coordinator, believed with the rolling out of the Covid-19 vaccine, the state would be able to slow down the cases further. However, he said no one should depend solely on the vaccine because it does not give 100 per cent protection, hence the need for the people to continue wearing face masks, practising physical distancing and maintaining good personal hygiene.

Meanwhile, Dr Annuar disclosed that a total of 93,801 people in Sibu have yet to register for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, and called on them to do so as soon as possible.

“Registration is very important because we need to know the data. I will fight so that places that are in the ‘hot zone’ such as Sibu, Bintulu, and Miri will be given the priority to receive the vaccines,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said the third round of vaccination for senior citizens in Sibu would be held on May 18 and May 19.