Bracing for another wave of Covid-19 infections

PETALING JAYA: It is better to be safe than sorry, say health experts, telling members of the public to continue observing the standard operating procedures (SOP), especially wearing face masks, in anticipation of a surge in Covid-19 infections.

Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia president Dr Raj Kumar Maharajah said people must constantly be reminded that Covid-19 was still in the community and that they should not let their guard down.

“We should still follow the SOP such as physical distancing, good hygiene and wearing a face mask,” he said.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said yesterday that Covid-19 infections could increase due to the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, especially the BA.5.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia health economics, hospital and health management’s Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said self-testing and reporting should be made compulsory for meetings that involve a large number of people as a precautionary measure.

She added that this was because there was a possibility that several cases might have gone unreported as the country embarked on its transition to endemicity.

She also said there was a possibility that the number of cases could be 40% to 50% higher than the actual reported numbers.

“This is because of the transition to endemicity, whereby it’s not compulsory to test, and tests are mainly unrecorded. In fact, some who are positive do not report their status as they might (fear) that their pay might be deducted.

“So, cases are definitely higher than reported. Self-testing is not mandatory at present, and only if we know the actual numbers can we then be better prepared to tackle the issue.

“Thus, I would encourage the implementation of compulsory self-tests for those who attend big meetings, schools and congregations, and report the outcome,” she added.

Prof Sharifa Ezat also called for more stringent screening of travellers from countries with high Covid-19 caseloads.

She proposed that certain SOP such as allowing employees, especially those who are at high risk, the option to work from home, segregation at schools to prevent crowding, and MySejahtera check-ins to be reinstated if cases continue to rise.

Universiti Putra Malaysia epidemiologist Associate Prof Dr Malina Osman said the new wave might affect certain high-risk groups and not the population as a whole.

However, she said though cases might rise, the impact would not be very severe.