PUTRAJAYA JUNE 7: If the people’s compliance with the standard operating procedure (SOP) is very high, it is not impossible for COVID-19 pandemic to end even without any new vaccine discovered.
Director General of Health, Datuk Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah said, the people could learn from the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the middle-east respiratory syndrome corona virus (MERS-CoV) epidemic that had vanished without the use of any vaccine.
Dr. Noor Hisham said, the discovery of any new vaccine for COVID-19 could only be realised within one to one and half years.
“The New England Journal of Medicine says that social distancing of at least one to two metres could avoid a person from COVID-19 infection and it has been proven to be effective in the community.
“The SOP that includes the 3C; avoiding confined space, congested place and close conversation besides 3W namely wearing masks in public places, washing hands frequently with sanitizer and “warnings” that have been outlined by the World Health Organizations (WHO) have also proven that COVID-19 transmissions could be curbed,” Dr. Noor Hisham said in his daily briefings held here today.
Dr. Noor Hisham emphasized, with the enforcement of Movement Control Order and Conditional MCO until June 9, there is a balanced of life and livelihood in the country.
“With the enforcement of Recovery MCO that starts on June 10, the surveillance and monitoring process will continue.
“If by August 31 when the RMCO ends, the infectivity curve is still flattened with the R-naught remains at 0.3 then the government could decide on soft landing and opens the international borders using the Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Act 1988 (Act 342)l” Dr. Noor Hisham reiterated.
Dr. Noor Hisham explained that on a question of what will happen after the enforcement of RMCO ends on August 31.
On the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia, Dr. Noor Hisham said, today 39 cases have been discharged bringing the accumulative total to 6, 674 or 80.2% with 19 new cases which have recorded a total of 8,322 while 1,531 cases are still under treatment in the hospitals.
He added, from the new cases six are imported, 13 are from local transmissions and from that two cases involve non-Malaysians while 11 cases are Malaysians.
Meanwhile Dr. Noor Hisham said, there is a new cluster formed in Gombak. One new case has been detected bringing to five positive COVID-19 at the District Police Headquarters (IPD).
He added, the ministry has succeeded to detect new cases in its periodic active tracing of COVID-19 in the IPD and also on members of the public.
The persons detected with positive COVID-19, said Dr. Noor Hisham have been taken to the hospital while their close contacts will be traced. –Malaysia World News
