KUALA LUMPUR – Public compliance with health regulations must continue despite Phase 1 of the national Covid-19 inoculation programme being under way, said Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
The health director-general, in a statement, said these include international border controls, implementation of standard operating procedures, coronavirus testing and screening, close-contact tracing, isolation of suspected and confirmed cases, and other measures by the various agencies.
“It is important for all parties (including those who have received the vaccine) to fully comply with the SOPs until herd immunity is achieved.
“The impact of these actions will be assessed from time to time, and will then be discussed jointly by the government during the National Security Council’s special session.
“Among the key indicators used in the risk assessment are, the current situation of Covid-19 daily cases, current trends and values of R-naught (infectivity rate), trends and situations concerning Covid-19 deaths, bed usage assessment for Covid-19 cases (at low-risk quarantine and treatment centres, hospitals and intensive care, and ventilated cases), current situation of health workers infected with Covid-19, and Covid-19 laboratory and surveillance testing activities (using the RT-PCR and RTK Antigen tests).”
The decision to allow movement across state and district lines depends on an evaluation of some of these factors, and must be made jointly by the government, he said.
“For the time being, public health safety regulations still need to be continued, while ensuring that the immunisation programme runs smoothly.” – The Vibes, February 28, 2021
