Former Health Ministry official: Malaysia must be ready in case of local Covid-19 transmission

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia must be prepared for unlinked transmission of the Covid-19 as experienced in other countries, cautions former Health Ministry deputy director-general (research and technical support) Datuk Dr Christopher Lee.

Unlinked transmission was observed in countries such as Japan and Korea, while in Malaysia, all the cases observed so far were linked to travellers from abroad, he said.

"But we need to be alert on the possibility of unlinked transmission occurring here, although such cases are remote," he said.

He said this at a press conference held at the Malaysia Medical Association premises here on Friday (Feb 21).

Dr Lee also advised clinic staff to frequently disinfect surfaces commonly touched by patients and others, as Covid-19 could spread through droplets and contact transmission.

"To protect the doctors and nurses from being infected, all the surfaces commonly touched by people must be thoroughly disinfected," he said.

MMA president Dr N. Ganabaskaran lauded the Health Ministry for keeping the public updated on the outbreak, as it had helped raise public awareness, and significantly control the spread of the disease in Malaysia.

"Although the number of cases recorded is relatively low, we must observe good personal hygiene at all times," he said.

Also present was Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia president Dr M. Raj Kumar.

The headline and story have been amended to correct Datuk Dr Christopher Lee's post.