Congrats to the Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin for reaching a new low for daily new Covid-19 cases when 4,343 Covid-19 cases and 35 Covid-19 deaths were recorded in Malaysia yesterday, but why is the reduction of daily new Covid-19 cases and daily Covid-19 deaths such an agonisingly slow process as compared to other countries like Indonesia and India?
For daily new Covid-19 cases, Malaysia has fallen from the peak of 24,599 cases on August 26 to 4,343 cases yesterday, while daily Covid-19 deaths have fallen from the peak of 592 deaths recorded on Sept. 11 to 35 deaths yesterday – but still a long way from double-digit figure for daily new Covid-19 cases and single-digit number for daily Covid-19 deaths for Malaysia “to live with Covid”.
At this rate of reduction, it will be impossible for Khairy to achieve the 100-Day target of less than 500 new Covid-19 cases a day by Dec. 7, 2021.
Indonesia is far ahead of Malaysia in the reduction of daily new Covid-19 cases – for it has been recording for a consecutive 24-days for daily new Covid-19 cases in triple-digit numbers, and for a longer period of 38 consecutive days, recording double-digit figure for Covid-19 deaths.
Yesterday, Indonesia recorded 444 new Covid-19 cases and 11 Covid-19 deaths as compared to 4,343 cases and 35 Covid-19 deaths for Malaysia – indicating that Indonesia will beat Malaysia in first recording single-digit daily deaths in the next few days.
The comparison with India, which has over 43 times’ the population of Malaysia, is even more stark – as India has yesterday reduced its daily new Covid-19 cases to 11,648 (or 2.8% of its daily peak of 414,433 cases of May 6, 2021) and 256 daily Covid-19 deaths (or 5% of its daily peak of 5,015 Covid-19 deaths on May 23, 2021).
In contrast, Malaysia had only yesterday reduced to 17.6% of its peak of daily new cases and come down to 6% of its peak of daily Covid-19 deaths.
Khairy should convene an urgent meeting of public and private health experts to find out how Malaysia can get better and faster results in ending Malaysia’s long third wave since September last year by Khairy’s first 100 days on Dec. 7, 2021.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 8th November 2021)
Tahniah KJ kerana negara mencapai kadar terendah baharu dengan 4,343 kes dan 35 kematian akibat Covid-19 dicatatkan semalam, tetapi mengapakah penurunan ini terlalu perlahan berbanding dengan negara lain seperti Indonesia dan India?
Tahniah Menteri Kesihatan, Khairy Jamaluddin kerana negara mencapai kadar terendah baharu dengan 4,343 kes dan 35 kematian akibat Covid-19 dicatatkan semalam, tetapi mengapakah penurunan ini terlalu perlahan berbanding dengan negara lain seperti Indonesia dan India?
Untuk angka kes harian Covid-19, angka di Malaysia telah turun daripada kemuncak 24,599 kes pada 26 Ogos kepada 4,343 kes semalam, manakala kadar kematian pula telah turun daripada kemuncak 592 kematian sehari pada 11 September kepada 35 kematian semalam — tetapi perjalanannya masih lagi jauh sebelum kita mencapai kadar kes dalam julat dua angka dan kadar kematian dalam julat satu angka untuk Malaysia “hidup bersama dengan Covid”.
Pada kadar penurunan seperti ini, mustahil untuk Khairy mencapai sasaran 100 hari pertama beliau untuk mencatatkan kurang daripada 500 kes Covid-19 menjelang 7 Disember 2021.
Indonesia berada jauh di hadapan Malaysia dari segi penurunan kes Covid-19 — negara tersebut telah mencatatkan 24 hari berturut-turut dengan kes dalam julat tiga angka dan 38 hari berturut-turut mencatatkan kadar kematian dalam julat dua angka.
Semalam, Indonesia mencatatkan 444 kes baharu dan 11 kematian akibat Covid-19, berbanding dengan 4,343 kes dan 35 kematian akibat Covid-19 di Malaysia — menunjukkan yang Indonesia akan mengalahkan Malaysia untuk mencatatkan kadar kematian dalam julat satu angka dahulu dalam beberapa hari yang akan datang.
Perbandingan dengan India, yang mempunyai 43 kali ganda lebih ramai penduduk berbanding dengan Malaysia lebih ketara — India menurunkan kadar kes baharunya kepada 11,648 (atau 2.8% daripada kemuncaknya sebelum ini, 414,433 kes pada 6 Mei 2021) dan 256 kematian akibat Covid-19 (5% kadar kematian pada kemuncak 5,015 kematian pada 23 Mei 2021).
Sebaliknya, Malaysia semalam hanya menurunkan kadar kes ini kepada 17.6% kadar kemuncak kes baharu sebelum ini dan menurunkan kadar kematian kepada 6% daripada kemuncak kadar kematian sebelum ini.
Khairy perlu memanggil persidangan segera pakar-pakar perubatan awam dan swasta untuk mencari cara bagaimana Malaysia boleh mendapatkan hasil yang lebih baik dengan lebih pantas dalam menamatkan gelombang ketiga penularan yang telah berlanjutan terlalu lama sejak September tahun lepas sebelum mencapai 100 hari pertama beliau menjadi Menteri Kesihatan pada 7 Disember 2021.
(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 8 November 2021)