PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Health confirms that drastic increase in COVID-19 new cases will be known two weeks after Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration; depending on the people’s attitude in adhering to the standard operating procedure (SOP).
Director General of Health, Datuk Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah said, learning from other countries’ experiences, the COVID-19 new cases increased abruptly after the people went back to their home towns to celebrate a festival.
“To prevent COVID-19 from spreading, the government has stopped people from going back to their hometowns and inter-state travel is not permitted.
“It is not only the responsibility of the government to curb COVID-19 from spreading but every citizen is responsible too by adhering to the SOP.
“The people should prevent themselves from visiting instead celebrate Hari Raya with family members in the house and watch out the social distancing even among family members.
“The new cases will remain at two or one digit depending on the rate of SOP compliance. Before the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO), the infectious level (R-naught) of COVID-19 is 3.55 but now has dropped to 0.3,” Dr. Noor Hisham reiterated.
Dr. Noor Hisham explained that in the senior citizens cluster, 85% are without symptoms but the virus could be infected to others.
The Health Director also advised the people not to go to the cemetery on the first day of Hari Raya as there will be many people and several crowds could be created in the confined area.
Regarding the positive COVID -19 new cases at the Immigration Detention Depot in Bukit Jalil, Dr. Noor Hisham said, the new cases came from 25 Pakistanis while two cases affecting the Myanmars at the Semenyih Depot.
On the latest COVID-19 situation in the country, Dr. Noor Hisham said, 63 patients have been discharged bringing the accumulative total to 5,859 or 82.1% while 78 new cases marking the record of 7,137 cases since the break of the pandemic.
“From the new cases, 25 are infected from overseas while 40 are non-citizens and out of that 25 detected positive COVID-19 at Bukit Jalil Immigration Detention Depot.
“ The 25 imported cases include 11 from Saudi Arabia, seven from Indonesia, two from Singapore, two from Pakistan while one each from United States of America, Ireland and Maldives,” Dr. Noor Hisham said.
Dr.Noor Hisham also mentioned that 1,163 cases are still under treatment and from that nine are admitted to the intensive care unit.(ICU) while five need respiratory aids.
“There is one death case bringing the death toll to 115 or 1.6% from the total number of cases. The dead is a male aged 65, suffered from diabetes, hypertension and kidney problem,” Dr. Noor Hisham added. –Malaysia World News
