Good habits to practise against any virus

IT’S baaack... Actually, Covid-19 never went away completely. It has become like the seasonal flu, something we must learn to live with.

However, there are several differences between the flu and Covid-19 that make the latter more worrying: Severe illness is more frequent with Covid-19 than with the flu, with the coronavirus causing more hospital stays and deaths, even those who have no other health issues.

Here’s a comparison: According to the Mayo Clinic in the United States, more than 95 million Americans contracted Covid-19 since 2020 and of those, more than one million died. During the 2021-2022 flu season there, between eight and 13 million people had the flu and between 5,000 and 14,000 people died from it.

See the difference?

This is why every country in the world – and the World Health Organisation – is still keeping a close eye on Covid-19 numbers.

In Malaysia, recent numbers have been troubling: From 6,796 cases two weeks ago, we have gone to 12,757 last week. And there were 11 deaths over just one week, between Dec 3 and Dec 9.

These figures are certainly not as scary as those recorded during the height of the pandemic – but they do seem to say there is a resurgence of the virus in Malaysia, and that matches global trends.

Most cases have been mild, with no need for hospitalisation. However, the infections have not yet peaked, and cases are expected to increase until mid-January, says the Health Ministry.

While the overall situation is still under control, we certainly don’t want to go back to those dark days when movement was restricted and the economy tanked.

The Health Ministry recommends booster shots, especially for those in vulnerable groups, including senior citizens and those with comorbidities such as diabetes and blood pressure issues.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has announced that a sufficient stock of vaccines is available, effectively protecting the public from mutated infections and new 19 variants.

And, of course, we need to remember the simple steps to take – you know the drill.

Wear masks in crowded places and on public transportation; it is especially crucial for those exhibiting symptoms to safeguard themselves and others by wearing masks.

It is the year-end holidays, and there’s an increased movement of people. We should conduct Covid-19 tests before gatherings and immediately self-quarantine for five days if the test is positive.

We should also practise the good habits we learned during the pandemic, such as washing our hands often or using sanitiser.

This is the time to make all this behaviour automatic and ingrained, whether Covid-19 is around or not, because it works to keep everyone safe from all viruses.