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KUALA LUMPUR: The battle against Covid-19 is certainly far from over.
It has been a year of uncertainties and, as we draw the final curtain of 2020, the coronavirus continues to ravage the world, now with a new strain that has led to blockade measures in several countries.
First reported in Wuhan, China and declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March, Covid-19 has infected more than 80 million people worldwide and claimed nearly two million lives. .
Here at home, as of December 28, Malaysia has reported 106,690 cases and 455 deaths due to the virus.
The pandemic has essentially affected everyone’s life in one way or another and has generally affected a wide spectrum of livelihoods: the economy, business, travel, education, and even religious activities and social gatherings.
Despite the good news that Malaysia will receive its first Covid-19 vaccine in February, the country remains cautious after reports that the new Covid-19 variant had been detected in Sabah.
On December 23, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said that the new Covid-19 mutation, A701V, which had been detected in the Benteng LD cluster in Sabah, has been transmitted to the vast majority of third wave clusters in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
It may still take some time for the pandemic to fully subside and as such the best option for survival, for now, lies in individual behavior and responsibility in terms of complying with established standard operating procedures (SOPs).
As Malaysia prepares for all sorts of possibilities, the country’s public health spokesperson, Health Director General Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, continues to convey the message that the war on Covid-19 is only just over.
“Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Our greatest fear is when we let our guard down. Please continue to adhere to the SOPs, as I have been reminding everyone at every opportunity, (that) the responsibility is now on us to break the Covid-19 transmission (chain). “
The first case of Covid-19 in Malaysia was detected on January 25, involving three Chinese nationals who had crossed from Singapore to Johor on January 23, triggering the first wave of the pandemic with 22 reported cases, most of them which were imported. That wave ended on February 15.
The country was free of Covid-19 for 11 days before a second wave struck on February 27 that saw an increase in cases, many of which were linked to groups related to the Sri Petaling meeting, the Immigration Depot. and several other smaller groups. .
The Sri Petaling collection group, first identified on March 11, turned out to be the largest Covid-19 group in the country, registering 3,375 positive cases, which ended on July 8 alone.
The large number of this group also led the government to decide on the Movement Control Order (MCO) in force as of March 18, which was unprecedented, at first it showed some success to the point of registering zero cases on March 9. June and July 8, respectively.
The government then took the initiative to keep the public well informed about the pandemic through daily media updates from Chief Minister (Security Group) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Dr. Noor Hisham.
Malaysia then went through its recovery phase, but it was also during this period, September to be precise, that the virus began to rage again, this time involving transmissions between prisoners and illegal immigrants in Sabah and Kedah, and also due to lack to comply with the SOPs during the Sabah election.
Dr Noor Hisham has admitted that the third wave of Covid-19 infections has been much more challenging as it involves the D614G mutation strain which has a higher infectivity rate, although he added that its spread was more controlled this time. .
Despite the fact that the country has been affected by several waves of Covid-19 infection, the early, aggressive and proactive action of the Ministry of Health and its ability to successfully control the spread of the virus is no small thing, even at the level international.
The excellence of the Ministry of Health in this matter was demonstrated when Malaysia was recognized as one of the most successful countries in the world in the management and control of the Covid-19 pandemic, including by the WHO, and the Ministry of Health even received the award. BrandLaureate’s Excellent Healthcare Service Provider in July.
Not only that, Dr. Noor Hisham was also named one of the top three medical specialists in the world by the China Global TV Network (CGTN), the Tokoh Maal Hijrah 2020 and was also awarded the title of Tan Sri at the 2020 Federal Festival. Awards in conjunction with Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s birthday.
However, Dr. Noor Hisham was also quick to point out that these recognitions in the ‘war’ against Covid-19 were the result of the collective efforts of the Health Ministry health team led by four of his ‘generals’, and appointed Deputy Director General (Medical) Datuk Dr. Rohaizat Yon, Deputy Director General (Public Health) Datuk Dr. Chong Chee Keong, Deputy Director General (Research and Technical Support) Dr. Hishamshah Mohd Ibrahim and Director of the Control Division of Datuk Dr. Norhayati Rusli diseases, as well as all the front line.
Meanwhile, the country’s efforts to contain the pandemic were also thwarted by several controversial events, such as the inaccurate report by the international news agency Al Jazeera on how Malaysia treated its foreign workers, the claim ‘DG takut mati’ (fear to die) launched by a parliamentarian. and the issue of SOP violations involving dignitaries and ministers.
The country was also surprised by the news that the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Seri Dr. Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri tested positive for Covid-19, prompting almost the entire cabinet, including the first Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, to be ordered to self-quarantine.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Adham Baba himself was placed under a 14-day home quarantine earlier this month after being identified as a close contact for a Covid-19 patient.
To ensure readiness, the Health Ministry has allocated 6,055 beds to treat Covid-19 patients across the country and 22,145 beds in 86 low-risk and quarantine treatment centers.
In addition to this, the capacity of laboratories nationwide to perform tests so far is currently 63, including private laboratories that can handle up to almost 60,000 tests per day.
The world is now pinning its hopes on an effective vaccine, and Malaysia will source its supply from various pharmaceutical companies starting next year to meet the immunization needs of up to 70 percent of the population.
The Prime Minister had previously said that the distribution of vaccines to Malaysians will be free and will be done gradually by prioritizing high-risk groups, including the first-line, the elderly and patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The Covid-19 pandemic should not only be viewed as a medical crisis, it should also be characterized by lessons learned and wisdom gained, and there have been many.
The virus has completely changed Malaysian lives by forcing us to embrace and adapt to new norms, such as wearing face masks in public areas, practicing physical distancing, paying more attention to personal hygiene and the way we socialize and work.
However, what is very clear is that the 2021 that will soon be presented to us will be one of hope that the virus that has disrupted life as we knew it, will meet a very welcome demise.
Covid-19 in Malaysia: Facts Listed
1. The highest number of daily cases was registered on December 26 with 2,335 cases.
2. The first case on January 25, 2020 involved three Chinese nationals who entered the country from Singapore.
3. The first two deaths recorded on March 17 involved the 178th and 358th cases, a Malaysian man attending a tabligh meeting in Seri Petaling and a 60-year-old man in Kuching, Sarawak.
4. The first local infection detected was on February 6, involving a 40-year-old woman.
5. The youngest death involved a one-year-old Malay girl on October 6.
6. Oldest death involved a 130-year-old foreigner on November 2.
7. November 3 saw the highest number of daily deaths with 12 deaths.
8. A 12-day-old baby is among the youngest infected patients in the country, a case on March 26.
9. So far, the largest conglomerate is the Seri Petaling conglomerate, comprising 3,375 positive cases, of which the first case was detected on March 11.
10. The number of clusters as of December 28 is 489.
11. The highest daily recovery count was recorded on November 26 with 2,555 cases.
12. As of December 28, Sabah has reported the highest number of cumulative cases with 36,231 infections, followed by Selangor with 29,969 and Kuala Lumpur with 12,690 cases. – Called
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