Selcare: Majority of younger virus carriers are asymptomatic

Easy does it: Parents calming down a child while they get tested for Covid-19 at Kampung Baru in Balakong. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star

KLANG: The Selangor state-sponsored mass Covid-19 screening found that a majority of those between the ages of 20 and 40 who tested positive were asymptomatic.

The screening was carried out by Selcare, which is the administrator of the state government’s healthcare programme, Skim Peduli Sihat.

Selcare manager Mohd Noor Md Nasir said almost 80% of positive individuals in this age group appeared healthy and showed no signs of being infected.

“These people had been moving around freely before screening, ’’ Mohd Noor said, adding that there was a small number of Covid-19-positive senior citizens who had no symptoms despite having conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.

“This is worrisome as these people had been in contact with many others as there was no indication they were infected, ’’ he said.Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari had announced that screening would be carried out in all 56 state assembly constituencies.Selangor has allocated RM6mil for the targeted screening of some 50,000 Selangor residents from May 8-28.

Meanwhile, Selangor Task Force for Covid-19 chairman Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the findings of Selcare’s screening was more reason for the Health Ministry to initiate public screening exercises.

“Imagine all these people would have been roaming around infecting others because there was no indication they were Covid-19-positive, ’’ he said when contacted.

He said this was the grim reality on the ground which Federal authorities must look into seriously.