Mass early treatment of Covid-19 will save lives, time and cost

GPs are a valuable force in the battle against Covid-19 that has yet to be mobilised. — 123rf.com

The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM), calls on the Malaysian government to institute as soon as possible mass treatment of prima facie (early) Covid-19 cases as an addition pillar of action to break the chain of transmission. This is aimed at bringing down the pool of infection to below critical mass, cutting short the movement control order (MCO) period and assisting in the economic recovery of the country.

The claim that there is no strong evidence that chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) works against Covid-19 is currently being challenged by experts and governments around the world. The revelation by Malaysian Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah on April 7 that the use of HCQ has probably contributed to the improvement of hospitalised patients and lessened the need for intensive care was indeed very encouraging. He also said that HCQ has been prescribed for use in hospitalised patients as an off-label indication since the onset of the pandemic.