Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan Dr Noor Hisham dipuji kerana telah bersedia untuk menghadapi situasi terburuk gelombang ketiga Covid-19 yang mungkin mencecah sehingga 1,000 kes baharu sehari

Ketua Pengarah Kementerian Kesihatan, Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah perlu dipuji kerana telah menyiapkan persediaan awal untuk menghadapi situasi terburuk yang mungkin akan datang dengan gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia yang mungkin akan melihat sehingga 1,000 kes baharu sehari.

Beliau berkata, berdasarkan kemungkinan peningkatan kes baru Covid-19, adalah lebih baik bagi Kementerian Kesihatan untuk melakukan lebih banyak penyediaan daripada kurang bersedia, kerana kekurangan persediaan adalah sama seperti tidak bersedia.

Jika Kerajaan “bersedia untuk yang paling teruk” sepanjang wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia ini, kita mungkin telah berjaya mengelakkan mimpi ngeri gelombang penularan kedua wabak ini dan dapat mengelak daripada menjadi salah satu daripada negara di Asia dengan kes-kes dan kematian tertinggi Covid-19.

Semasa gelombang pertama wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia dari 25 Januari hingga 26 Februari, 22 kes telah direkodkan tanpa sebarang kematian. Sekarang kita berada dalam gelombang kedua wabak ini, dan statistik terkini adalah 2,320 kes dan 27 kematian — peningkatan lebih daripada 10,000 peratus untuk kes positif dan dari sifar kematian hingga 27 kematian.

Kita perlu memastikan bahawa gelombang ketiga tidak menjadi ‘tsunami’, yang sedang cuba dicegah melalui perintah kawalan pergerakan (PKP) yang dilanjutkan hingga 14 April.

Di seluruh dunia, amaran dikeluarkan bahawa situasi “paling teruk” wabak ini masih belum tiba.

Sepuluh negara teratas dari jumlah kes koronavirus di seluruh dunia, menurut Johns Hopkins University, adalah seperti berikut:

– AS: 116,505 kes, 1,925 kematian
– Itali: 92,572 kes, 10,023 kematian
– China: 81,999 kes, 3,299 kematian
– Sepanyol: 72,248 kes, 5,812 kematian
– Jerman: 56,202 kes, 203 kematian
– Perancis: 38,105 kes, 2,317 kematian
– Iran: 36,408 kes, 2,517 kematian
= UK: 17,312 kes, 1,021 kematian
– Switzerland: 14,076 kes, 264 kematian
– Belanda: 9,819 kes, 640 kematian

China, di mana wabak Covid-19 ini bermula dua bulan lalu, telah memenangi perang terhadap virus sehinggakan rakyat Malaysia di China tertanya-tanya sama ada mereka harus kembali ke Malaysia kerana bimbang berjangkit dengan virus ini.

Sejak 10 hari yang lepas, tiada kes tempatan Covid-19 dilaporkan di China, dan pada hari ini, hampir 90 peratus daripada pesakit yang dijangkiti di negara itu telah pulih. China mempunyai 81,999 kes dan virus tersebut telah mengorbankan kira-kira 3,300 nyawa di negara itu.

Sepanjang sepuluh hari yang lepas, kes Covid-19 di China yang datang dari luar negara telah meningkat sebanyak purata 30 kes sehari berbanding dengan peningkatan 24 jam terakhir Covid-19 untuk Amerika Syarikat (19,185), Itali (5,974), Sepanyol (7,516), Jerman (6,824), Perancis (4,611), Iran (3,076), United Kingdom (2,546), Switzerland (1,148), Belanda (1,159), Belgium (1,850) dan Turki (1,704).

Terdapat 47 kematian Covid-19 di China dalam tempoh 10 hari yang lepas, berbanding 515 kematian di Amerika Syarikat, 889 kematian di Itali, 844 kematian di Sepanyol, 82 kematian di Jerman, 319 kematian di Perancis, 139 di Iran, 260 kematian di United Kingdom, 33 kematian di Switzerland, 93 di Belanda dan 64 di Belgium hanya dalam 24 jam yang lepas.

Sehingga vaksin untuk Covid-19 dicipta, yang akan mengambil 12 – 18 bulan, penjarakan sosial adalah satu-satunya langkah untuk melambatkan penyebaran eksponensial Covid-19 serta menangani kekurangan bekalan dan keupayaan diagnostik sistem penjagaan kesihatan untuk menangani lonjakan kes-kes Covid-19.

Adalah penting untuk wujud satu usaha yang lebih besar untuk menjelaskan kepentingan penjarakan sosial kepada semua rakyat Malaysia kerana kejayaan langkah ini akan bergantung kepada tahap perpaduan nasional dan sokongan untuknya.

Kerana itulah persidangan tergempar Parlimen mengenai Covid-19 berguna, bukan sahaja untuk meluluskan pakej rangsangan yang diumumkan oleh Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin pada hari Jumaat, tetapi untuk menunjukkan sokongan penuh dan perpaduan semua rakyat Malaysia yang melangkaui kaum, agama, kawasan atau politik terhadap langkah-langkah anti-Covid-19, termasuklah penjarakan sosial.

Tenaga dan usaha semua wakil rakyat Malaysia, tanpa mengira politik parti, mesti dimanfaatkan untuk memenangi perang terhadap Covid-19 ini dan untuk melonjakkan semula ekonomi Malaysia secepat mungkin.

Rakyat Malaysia mesti bersedia untuk situasi yang paling teruk tetapi berharap dan bersatu untuk situasi yang terbaik.

Marilah kita membuktikan yang jangkaan bank pelaburan global JP Morgan bahawa Covid-19 akan memuncak kepada 6,300 kes pada pertengahan April itu salah, dan juga Institut Penyelidikan Ekonomi Malaysia (MIER) yang menjangkakan 8,900 kes Covid-19.

(Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang pada hari Ahad 29 Mac 2020)

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The Health Ministry Director-General Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah is to be commended for preparing for the worst in the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia for a third wave where cases could surge to 1,000 per day.

He said in the light of a possible tsunami of new Covid-19 cases, it is better for the Health Ministry to over-prepare than to under-prepare, as being under-prepared is to be unprepared.

If the Malaysian government had maintained this attitude of “being prepared for the worst” throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia, the country would have been spared the nightmare of the second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak and becoming one of the top Asian countries with Covid-19 cases and deaths.

During the first wave of the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia from January 25 to Feb. 26, 22 cases but no deaths were reported. Now we are in the second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak, and the latest statistics are 2,320 cases and 27 deaths – more than 10,000 per cent increase for cases and from zero fatality to 27 deaths.

We must ensure that the third wave does not become a tsunami, which is what the extended movement control order (MCO) extended to April 14 is designed to prevent.

All over the world, warnings are being issued that the “worst” of the pandemic is yet to come.

The top ten countries for number of coronavirus cases worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, is as follows:

– US: 116,505 cases, 1,925 deaths
– Italy: 92,572 cases, 10,023 deaths
– China: 81,999 cases, 3,299 deaths
– Spain: 72,248 cases, 5,812 deaths
– Germany: 56,202 cases, 203 deaths
– France: 38,105 cases, 2,317 deaths
– Iran: 36,408 cases, 2,517 deaths
– UK: 17,312 cases, 1,021 deaths
– Switzerland: 14,076 cases, 264 deaths
– Netherlands: 9,819 cases, 640 deaths

China, where the Covic-19 pandemic started two months ago, has won the war against the new coronavirus virus to the extent that Malaysians in China are wondering whether they should return to Malaysia for fear of catching this infectious disease.

For the past 10 days, no local cases of Covid-19 had been reported in China, and as of yesterday, almost 90 per cent of the infected patients in the country had recovered. China had a total of 81,999 cases and the disease had killed some 3,300 in the country.

In the past ten days, Covid-19 cases in China which were mostly imported ones have increased by a daily average of some 30 cases, as compared to increase in the last 24 hours of Covid-19 cases for United States (19,185), Italy (5,974), Spain (7,516), Germany (6,824), France (4,611), Iran (3,076), United Kingdom (2,546), Switzerland (1,148), Netherlands (1,159), Belgium (1,850) and Turkey (1,704).

There were 47 Covid-19 fatalities in China in the last 10 days, compared to the Covid-19 fatalities in the last 24 hours of 515 deaths in United States, 889 deaths in Italy, 844 deaths in Spain, 82 deaths in Germany, 319 deaths in France, 139 in Iran, 260 deaths in the United Kingdom, 33 deaths in Switzerland, 93 in Netherlands and 64 in Belgium.

Until a vaccine to Covid-19 is invented, which will take 12 – 18 months, social distancing is the only measure to slow the exponential spread of Covid-19 as well as to deal with the dire shortage of supplies and diagnostic capacity of the health care system to deal with surges of Covid-19 cases.

It is important and imperative that there should be a greater effort to explain the rationale of social distancing to all Malaysians as the success of the social distancing measure will depend on the degree of national unity and support for the social distancing measure.

This is where an emergency meeting of Parliament on Covid 19 will be useful, not only in approving the stimulus package announced by the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, on Friday, but to demonstrate full support and solidarity of all Malaysians transcending race, religion, region or politics for the spate of anti-Covid-19 measures, including social distancing.

The energies and efforts of all Malaysian elected representatives, regardless of party politics, must be harnessed to win the invisible war against Covid-19 and to restart the economic engine of Malaysia in the shortest possible time.

Malaysians must be prepared for the worst but hope and unite for the best.

Let us prove wrong the worst prognosis of global investment bank JP Morgan that Covid-19 would peak at 6,300 cases in mid-April or that of the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) that Covid-19 would peak at 8,900 cases.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang on Sunday, March 29, 2020)