COVID-19

Malaysia may exceed 15,000 Covid-19 cases early next week but it should not be the cause for panic so long as the daily fatality rates keep to single-digit numbers

By Kit

February 08, 2022

(Versi BM)

Malaysia may exceed 15,000 Covid-19 cases early next week but it should not be the cause for panic so long as the daily fatality rates keep to single-digit numbers.

Today, the Health Ministry reported 13,944 new Covid-19 cases today bringing the cumulative infections in the country to 2,939,198. Yesterday, there were 11,034 cases and nine deaths.

It would appear that the Minister of Health, Khairy Jamaluddin’s figure of 15,000 cases, the Health director-general Noor Hisham’s 22,000 cases and my public health expert’s 25,000 cases may be exceeded by the middle of the month, and we will be heading to new daily peak for Covid-19 cases – which was set on 26th August 2021 at 24,599 cases.

But this is the era of the Omicron variant, which is more transmissible than the Delta variant but so far, not more severe or deadly or requiring more hospitalisation.

Khairy has cautioned yesterday that the worst is yet to come in terms of daily number of new cases as the country is now facing a full Omicron wave.

He advised those who have yet to receive their Covid-19 vaccine booster dose, particularly the elderly who are more vulnerable, should do so.

The infectivity rate as of yesterday stood at 1.2. A sustained value above 1.0 leads to an exponential spread of the virus.

During the Delta wave, it overwhelmed the healthcare system as the number of Covid-19 patients who needed treatment surpassed what hospitals can handle.

The Health Ministry had said that its modelling suggested that the healthcare system should be able to handle the current wave with almost 80 percent of the total population already vaccinated. The first case of Omicron variant was in the second half of November last year.

But there is no basis whatsoever for the Senior Minister for International Trade and Industry, Azmin Ali, to claim that the Perikatan Nasional government was the best globally in managing the Covid-19 pandemic.

We need only refer to the spurious Emergency that was declared on January 11, 2021 allegedly to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

When the Emergency started on January 11, 2021 there were 2,232 daily new cases and four daily Covid-19 deaths and n the cumulative totals for Malaysia were 138,222 Covid-19 cases and 555 Covid-19 deaths.

On August 1, 2021 when Emergency ended the daily new cases and deaths have shot up to 17,150 cases and 160 deaths, while the cumulative total of cases have multiplied by more than eight times to 1,130,422 cases and the cumulative total of Covid-19 deaths have shot up more than 16 times to 9,184 deaths

Nobody except for Azmin would describe the Emergency to combat the Covid-19 pandemic in the form of the Delta variant as a success.

We are now facing a different ballgame with the Omicron wave, as we will exceed the cumulative total of three million Covid-19 cases in the next few days.

We should follow the examples of other countries of opening up the economy and social life, while following the SOPs of masks and social distancing, and this should be the basis of the SOPs for the Johore state general election which will be announced tomorrow.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 8th January 2022)

Malaysia mungkin akan melepasi paras 15,000 kes dalam awal minggu hadapan tetapi perkara ini tidak patut menimbulkan panik selagi mana kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 kekal dalam julat satu angka

Malaysia mungkin akan melepasi paras 15,000 kes dalam awal minggu hadapan tetapi perkara ini tidak patut menimbulkan panik selagi mana kadar kematian akibat Covid-19 kekal dalam julat satu angka.

Hari ini, Kementerian Kesihatan melaporkan 13,944 kes baharu Covid-19, membawa jumlah kes terkumpul dalam negara kepada 2,939,198 kes. Semalam, kita mencatatkan 11,034 kes baharu dan sembilan kematian.

Kelihatan seperti jangkaan 15,000 kes oleh Menteri Kesihatan, Khairy Jamaluddin, jangkaan 22,000 kes Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Dr Noor Hisham, dan jangkaan 25,000 kes oleh pakar kesihatan awam saya mungkin akan dipecahkan awal minggu hadapan dan kita mungkin akan menyaksikan kemuncak baharu angka kes Covid-19 – yang sebelum ini dicatatkan pada 26 Ogos 2021 dengan 24,599 kes.

Tetapi kini adalah era varian Omicron, yang jauh lebih berjangkit tetapi kelihatan tidak sebahaya Delta dan tidak memerlukan hospitalisasi seperti sebelum ini.

Khairy telah memberikan amaran semalam yang kadar terburuk belum disaksikan lagi dari segi jumlah kes harian, memandangkan negara kita sedang berhadapan dengan gelombang penuh Omicron.

Beliau menasihati mereka yang belum menerima suntikan dos penggalak vaksin Covid-19, terutamanya mereka yang lanjut usia, untuk segera mendapatkan suntikan ini.

Kadar jangkitan setakat semalam berada pada paras 1.2. Kadar yang kekal di atas nilai 1.0 akan membawa kepada penularan mendadak wabak ini.

Semasa berhadapan dengan gelombang penularan varian Delta, wabak ini telah melumpuhkan sistem kesihatan negara kerana terlalu ramai pesakit memerlukan rawatan di hospital berbanding dengan kapasiti yang ada.

Kementerian Kesihatan telah mengatakan yang jangkaan menunjukkan yang sistem kesihatan negara sepatutnya mampu mengendalikan gelombang penularan sedia ada memandangkan lebih daripada 80% populasi negara telah menerima vaksin. Kes pertama varian Omicron dalam negara dilaporkan dalam bulan November tahun lepas.

Tetapi, tidak ada asas langsung dalam dakwaan Menteri Kanan Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Azmin Ali, yang mengatakan kerajaan Perikatan Nasional adalah yang terbaik dalam mengendalikan wabak ini di dunia.

Kita hanya perlu melihat kepada perintah darurat pura-pura yang diisytiharkan pada 11 Januari 2021, kononnya untuk melawan wabak Covid-19.

Semasa darurat bermula pada 11 Januari 2021, terdapat 2,232 kes baharu dan empat kematian akibat Covid-19 dengan 138,222 kes terkumpul dan 555 kematian terkumpul akibat Covid-19.

Pada 1 Ogos 2021 semasa darurat tamat, kadar kes baharu telah meningkat kepada 17,150 kes dengan 160 kematian sedangkan angka terkumpul kes telah meningkat lebih daripada lapan kali ganda kepada 1,130,422 kes dan jumlah kematian terkumpul meningkat lebih daripada 16 kali ganda kepada 9,184 kematian akibat Covid-19.

Tidak ada sesiapa pun selain Azmin yang akan menggambarkan darurat untuk melawan Covid-19 ini merupakan satu kejayaan.

Kita kini berhadapan dengan perkara yang berbeza sama sekali dengan gelombang Omicron ini, di mana kita akan melepasi paras tiga juta kes terkumpul dalam beberapa hari yang akan datang.

Kita patut ikut contoh di negara-negara lain yang membuka semua sektor ekonomi dan kehidupan sosial dengan mematuhi SOP pemakaian pelitup muka dan menjaga jarak sosial, dan perkara ini perlu menjadi asas kepada SOP Pilihan Raya Negeri Johor yang akan diumumkan esok.

(Kenyataan media (2) Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Selasa, 8 Februari 2022)