Lim Kit Siang

#kerajaangagal178 – If yesterday’s 13,215 new Covid-19 cases is the rolling average for the next ten days, Malaysia is likely to reach a million Covid-19 cases and to be ranked No. 30 among countries in the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases when Parliament meets on July 26

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The Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin needs a dose of truth vaccine to realise that Malaysia is one of the world’s top worst-performing nations in the Covid-19 pandemic especially in the last six months under an emergency.

By any measure, macro and micro, Malaysia has joined the dubious club of the world’s worst-performing nations in the Covid-19 pandemic.

With cumulative total of 880,782 Covid-19 cases, we are now ranked No. 32 among nations with most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, when eight months ago, we were ranked No. 85 – overtaking 53 countries in the process.

If yesterday’s 13,215 new Covid-19 cases is the rolling average for the next ten days, Malaysia is likely to reach a million Covid-19 cases and to be ranked No. 30 among countries in the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases when Parliament meets on July 26 – overtaking Portugal and Pakistan who are presently ranked No. 31 and respectively.

In “Total cases per million population” index for July 14, 2021 in Our World in Data website, Malaysia at 26,804 is the highest in Asia, ASEAN and the Pacific, beating China, India, Japan, Indonesia and Philippines.

In “Daily Cases per million population” index for July 14, 2021 in Our World in Data website, Malaysia at 299.15 not only beat China, India, Japan, Indonesia and Philippines, we are also ahead of United States, Brazil and Mexico.

We are the word’s top 13th country both for daily new Covid-19 cases and new Covid-19 deaths.

Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah is right that increase in Covid-19 cases is not only happening in Malaysia, as whole world is affected by the more dominant Delta variant, including our neighbouring countries and UK.

But Malaysia’s dominant position among the worst-performing countries in the Covid-19 pandemic is further highlighted by the present spike of Covid-19 cases in the world and UK’s experience and is both an indication of the worsening Covid-19 situation in Malaysia and a warning not to regard vaccination as the silver bullet for the Covid-19 pandemic.

United Kingdom has one of the highest rates of vaccination in the world, higher than the United States, with 52.9 per cent of the UK population fully vaccinated and 69% of the population getting one dose of the vaccine, as compared to 48.3 of the population fully vaccinated and 55.8% of the population getting one dose of the vaccine in the United States.

But in UK, Covid-19 infections have quadrupled in a month since early June, and it reached 48,553 yesterday and is likely to increase further. The UK health secretary warned that the cases could rise up to 100,000 per day after restrictions such as wearing of masks and practising social distancing normal in public places are planned to be lifted on July 19.

The government should heed the warning of the World Health Organisation (WHO) secretary-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that the world is in the early stages of a new Covid-19 wave caused by the Delta variant, reversing the trend of sustained decline in Covid-19 cases and deaths by increasing vaccination rates in Europe and North America.

Last week marked the fourth consecutive week of rising cases of COVID-19 globally, with increases recorded in all but one of WHO’s six regions. Deaths are also rising again, after 10 weeks of steady decline.

The Delta variant is now in more than 111 countries and WHO expects it to be the dominant Covid-19 strain circulating worldwide.

On Monday, I asked what proportion of our Covid-19 cases were of the Delta variant? 50%, 70% or 90%?

There was no answer, and this is one of the many examples of the failure of the government’s communications strategy in the Covid-19 pandemic.

When emergency was declared on January 11, 2021 to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia had 135,992 Covid-19 cases and 551 Covid-19 deaths. Now, six months later, we have 880,782 Covid-19 cases and 6,613 Covid-19 deaths or more than six times the Covid-19 cases and 12 times the Covid-19 deaths.

Malaysians cannot understand how the Prime Minister can regard this as a success in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

Deputy Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob dropped a bombshell two days ago when he said the entire country was expected to move into Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan in early August based on the performance of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Program (NIP) where individuals who completed two doses of vaccine exceeded the 10 percent threshold set for the country.

Under the National Recovery Plan announced by the Prime Minister on June 15, the transition from Phase 1 to Phase 2 is after the threshold values for the following three main indicators are met, viz:

Number of daily Covid-19 cases drop to below 4,000
Bed usage in intensive care units (ICU) at moderate level
10 percent of the population received two doses of vaccine.
A virologist in Universiti Sains Malaysia has warned that the daily Covid-19 infections could rise to nearly 20,000 a day within the next two weeks, given the number of cases caused by more infectious Delta variant.

As for bed usage in intensive care units (ICU), the stories and pictures of the Klang
Valley hospitals struggling to cope with rising number of Covid-19 patients, and the spectre of the oxygen crisis in India coming to Malaysia, are the best answers.

How can the whole country under the National Recovery Plan enter Phase 2 in August when the daily Covd-19 caseload will be more than treble or quadruple the first threshold of less than 4,000 cases daily and the Klang Valley hospitals are at breaking-point in ICU usage?

The Muhyiddin Cabinet should not paint a false and dishonest picture of the Covid-19 pandemic or claim that the government strategy, including the six-month emergency, was not a dismal failure in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

Honesty is the best policy and the government should own up to its mistakes in pursuing a failed strategy in the war against Covid-19 pandemic, for the people can forgive mistakes but not dishonesty.

It is time to discard the National Recovery Policy and the five-day meeting of Parliament beginning on July 26 should be used to draft a new strategy and approach to bring the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia under control and return Malaysia to normalcy for Malaysians to learn to live with the corona virus.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 16th July , 2021)

 


#kerajaangagal178 – Sekiranya 13,215 kes Covid-19 yang dicatatkan semalam adalah jumlah purata kes untuk sepuluh hari akan datang, Malaysia kemungkinan akan mencapai sejuta kes Covid-19 dan berada di kedudukan ke-30 antara negara-negara di dunia dengan jumlah kumulatif kes Covid-19 tertinggi semasa Parlimen bersidang pada 26 Julai

Perdana Menteri, Muhyiddin Yassin perlu menyedari bahawa Malaysia adalah salah satu negara dengan prestasi paling teruk di dunia dalam menangani wabak Covid-19 terutama sepanjang darurat berkuatkuasa sejak enam bulan lalu.

Dalam apa jua ukuran, sama ada kecil mahupun besar, Malaysia telah duduk sebaris dengan negara-negara yang menunjukkan prestasi terburuk di dunia dalam menangani wabak Covid-19.

Dengan jumlah kumulatif kes Covid-19 berjumlah 880,782, kita kini berada di kedudukan ke-32 antara negara-negara dengan jumlah kumulatif kes Covid-19 tertinggi, sedangkan lapan bulan yang lalu, kita berada di kedudukan ke-85 – mengatasi 53 negara.

Sekiranya 13,215 kes Covid-19 yang dicatatkan semalam adalah jumlah purata kes untuk sepuluh hari akan datang, Malaysia kemungkinan akan mencapai sejuta kes Covid-19 dan berada di kedudukan ke-30 antara negara-negara di dunia dengan jumlah kumulatif kes Covid-19 tertinggi semasa Parlimen bersidang pada 26 Julai — memintas Portugal dan Pakistan yang masing-masing berada di kedudukan ke-31.

Dalam indeks “Jumlah kes per sejuta penduduk” untuk 14 Julai 2021 seperti disiarkan di laman web Our World in Data, Malaysia mencatatkan 26,804 kes — angka tertinggi di Asia, ASEAN dan Asia Pasifik, menewaskan China, India, Jepun, Indonesia dan Filipina.

Dalam indeks “Kes harian per sejuta penduduk” untuk 14 Julai 2021 seperti disiarkan di laman web Our World in Data, Malaysia mencatatkan 299.15 kes, tidak hanya menewaskan China, India, Jepun, Indonesia dan Filipina, bahkan mendahului Amerika Syarikat, Brazil dan Mexico.

Kita adalah negara ke-13 teratas untuk kedua-dua kategori jumlah kes harian baharu Covid-19 dan jumlah kes kematian baharu akibat wabak itu.

Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan Noor Hisham Abdullah benar apabila mengatakan trend peningkatan kes Covid-19 tidak hanya berlaku di Malaysia, kerana seluruh dunia dipengaruhi oleh varian Delta yang lebih dominan, termasuk negara jiran kita dan UK.

Namun kedudukan dominan Malaysia antara negara-negara dengan prestasi terburuk dalam menangani wabak Covid-19 diserlahkan lagi oleh lonjakan kes Covid-19 semasa di dunia dan pengalaman UK dan kedua-duanya merupakan petunjuk keadaan Covid-19 yang semakin buruk di Malaysia dan memberi tanda amaran untuk tidak menganggap vaksinasi sebagai penawar ajaib bagi menangani wabak Covid-19.

United Kingdom mempunyai kadar vaksinasi tertinggi di dunia, lebih tinggi daripada Amerika Syarikat, dengan 52.9 peratus populasi UK diberi vaksin sepenuhnya dan 69% penduduk mendapat satu dos vaksin, berbanding 48.3% populasi diberi vaksin sepenuhnya dan 55.8% penduduk mendapat satu dos vaksin di Amerika Syarikat.

Tetapi di UK, jangkitan Covid-19 meningkat empat kali ganda dalam tempoh sebulan sejak awal bulan Jun, dan negara itu mencapai 48,553 kes semalam dan kemungkinan akan meningkat lebih tinggi. Setiausaha kesihatan England memberi amaran bahawa kes-kes itu boleh meningkat hingga 100,000 setiap hari setelah sekatan seperti pemakaian pelitup muka dan amalan penjarakan sosial di tempat awam pada 19 Julai ditarik balik pada 19 Julai.

Kerajaan harus mengambil berat terhadap amaran Setiausaha Agung Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus bahawa dunia sedang berada dalam tahap awal gelombang baharu Covid-19 yang disebabkan oleh varian Delta, yang membalikkan trend penurunan berterusan kes Covid-19 dan kes kematian dengan meningkatkan kadar vaksinasi di Eropah dan Amerika Utara.

Minggu lalu menandakan minggu keempat berturut-turut peningkatan kes Covid-19 di seluruh dunia, dengan kenaikan dicatat di semua kecuali satu daripada enam wilayah WHO. Kes kematian juga meningkat kembali, setelah 10 minggu mengalami penurunan berterusan.

Varian Delta kini terdapat di lebih dari 111 negara dan WHO menjangkakan ia akan menjadi varian Covid-19 yang dominan yang menular di seluruh dunia.

Pada hari Isnin, saya bertanya berapa bahagian kes Covid-19 di negara ini adalah dari varian Delta? 50%, 70% atau 90%?

Tidak ada jawapan, dan ini adalah salah satu dari banyak contoh kegagalan strategi komunikasi kerajaan dalam menangani wabak Covid-19.

Ketika darurat diisytiharkan pada 11 Januari 2021 untuk memerangi wabak Covid-19, Malaysia mempunyai 135,992 kes Covid-19 dan 551 kematian Covid-19. Kini, enam bulan kemudian, kita mempunyai 880,782 kes Covid-19 dan 6,613 kematian Covid-19 atau lebih daripada enam kali ganda kes Covid-19 dan 12 kali ganda kematian Covid-19.

Rakyat Malaysia tidak dapat memahami bagaimana Perdana Menteri dapat menganggap ini sebagai kejayaan dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19.

Dua hari lalu, Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Ismail Sabri Yaakob berkata bahawa seluruh negara dijangka memasuki Fasa 2 Pelan Pemulihan Negara pada awal Ogos berdasarkan prestasi Program Imunisasi Covid-19 Kebangsaan (NIP) di mana Individu yang menyelesaikan dua dos vaksin mencapai unjuran 10 peratus yang ditetapkan untuk negara ini.

Di bawah Pelan Pemulihan Negara yang diumumkan oleh Perdana Menteri pada 15 Jun, peralihan dari Fasa 1 ke Fasa 2 adalah setelah nilai ambang untuk tiga petunjuk utama berikut dipenuhi, iaitu:

-Jumlah kes harian Covid-19 turun ke bawah paras 4,000

-Penggunaan katil di unit rawatan rapi (ICU) pada tahap sederhana

-10 peratus penduduk menerima dua dos vaksin.

Seorang pakar virologi di Universiti Sains Malaysia telah memberi amaran bahawa jangkitan harian Covid-19 boleh meningkat sehingga 20,000 kes sehari dalam tempoh dua minggu lagi, memandangkan peningkatan kes disebabkan oleh varian Delta yang lebih menular.

Bagi penggunaan katil di unit rawatan rapi (ICU), kisah dan gambaran hospital di Lembah Klang yang bergelut untuk merawat pesakit Covid-19 yang semakin meningkat, dan krisis bekalan oksigen di India yang kini sudah tiba di Malaysia, adalah jawapan terbaik.

Bagaimana seluruh negara boleh memasuki Fasa 2 Pelan Pemulihan Negara pada bulan Ogos apabila kes harian Covid-19 akan melebihi tiga kali ganda atau empat kali ganda jumlah purata 4,000 kes setiap hari dan unit ICU hospital di Lembah Klang semakin sesak dan diambang kelumpuhan?

Kabinet Muhyiddin tidak boleh memberikan gambaran palsu dan tidak jujur mengenai wabak Covid-19 atau mendakwa bahawa strategi kerajaan, termasuk pelaksanaan darurat selama enam bulan, bukanlah kegagalan yang menyedihkan dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19.

Kejujuran adalah polisi terbaik dan kerajaan harus menanggung kesalahannya dalam melaksanakan strategi yang gagal dalam perang melawan wabak Covid-19, kerana rakyat dapat memaafkan kesalahan tetapi bukan ketidakjujuran.

Sudah tiba masanya untuk membuang Dasar Pemulihan Negara dan sidang lima hari Parlimen yang bermula pada 26 Julai harus digunakan untuk menyusun strategi dan pendekatan baru untuk mengendalikan wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia dan mengembalikan Malaysia ke keadaan normal supaya rakyat Malaysia dapat belajar untuk hidup bersama dengan wabak ini.

(Kenyataan Media (2) Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Jumaat, 16 Julai 2021)

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