[ad_1]
PETALING JAYA: While everyone is waiting for the Covid-19 vaccine to arrive next year, a health expert warned that the supply will not be sufficient for our general population.
As such, he said we may have to live with the new norm well into 2021.
As the number of national cumulative Covid cases nears the 100,000 mark, epidemiologist Dr. Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud said that the virus is ingrained in our community and it will not disappear like that.
“Infections have taken hold among Malays and non-locals, and it is now difficult to suppress at lower levels,” he said. Sun.
Awang Bulgiba said that everyone must play a role in containing the virus, such as wearing face masks and practicing physical distancing even after vaccines have arrived.
“It has only been agreed to purchase a certain number of doses of vaccines in 2021. This quantity is not adequate for our population, so it is likely that the government will have to look for more vaccines to buy. With this in mind, the new normal will continue beyond the first quarter of next year, ”he said.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin recently announced that the government will buy vaccines for 70% of the population and signed an agreement with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer for 12.8 million doses.
Malaysia also confirmed that it obtained a coronavirus vaccine from AstraZeneca, with an agreement to be signed today for the immunization of approximately 20% of the population.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said the number of new cases will remain high due to the mandatory screening of foreign workers under a program of the Social Security Organization.
“Most of the screening tests are done by doctors on construction sites and factories. We have 1.7 million documented and an estimated three to four million undocumented foreign workers to test. It is government policy to test all workers, but it will take time, ”said MMA President Professor Datuk M. Subramaniam.
He added that most foreign workers were still living in overcrowded conditions, and a delay in addressing this concern will continue to put these workers at risk of infection.
This is the result of the Teratai cluster, which is the largest cluster in the country with more than 5,000 cases involving dormitories of factory workers in Meru, Klang.
Subramaniam warned of a further increase over Christmas and New Years if the public continues to violate safety procedures while making vacation arrangements now that interstate travel is allowed.
“People need to be especially careful or they may unknowingly spread infections from red areas to green areas. Stronger enforcement is also needed to ensure everyone is fully compliant, ”he said.
[ad_2]
