KUALA LUMPUR – Two doctors have raised concerns over the resurgence of Covid-19, after daily coronavirus cases breached 2,000 for seven consecutive days in the country.
Putrajaya Hospital nephrologist Dr Rafidah Abdullah in a tweet today said wards are again swamped with patients with lung infections, signalling the re-emergence of Covid-19.
“I have, yet again, seen wards full of patients with lung infections. Covid-19 has returned. No idea which wave. Be strong, fellow colleagues. Looks like we will be celebrating Hari Raya in the hospital.
“Covid-19 ‘has returned’, Covid-19 never left, it’s alright we accept our fate, don’t forget SOPs. To fellow colleagues, although we have been vaccinated, please continue to comply with SOPs.”
She also shared a picture of a lung x-ray, pointing to spots that should not appear in a pair of healthy lungs.
Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today revealed that Malaysia’s overall infectivity rate (R-naught) is at 1.15 after cases yesterday. Kelantan has the highest rate at 1.44, followed by Kuala Lumpur (1.29) and Melaka (1.21).
Universiti Malaya infectious diseases expert Prof Datuk Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman in a tweet last night said Malaysia should learn from the current Covid-19 crisis in India and take steps to counter the surge in infections.
“The unfolding crisis in India with lessons for us in Malaysia to quickly act on given our own surge in the number of cases.”
She suggested the use of face masks be made mandatory and all mass gatherings banned.
There needs to be consistent messaging, a science-led approach and rapid vaccine roll-out, she added.
In the tweet, she shared a New York Times opinion piece that details India’s current Covid-19 crisis pointing to complacency and lack of preparation by its government.
Dr Adeeba then quoted a paragraph from the article, which said: “Without all this, India risks giving back the hard-won gains made through the nationwide lockdown a year ago.”
“Sounds familiar?” she added.
This morning, she shared a graph showing cumulative Covid-19 cases per a million people of several countries, from January last year to April 19 this year.
Malaysia’s rate exceeds India, but not by much, but far surpasses neighbouring countries Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
Their concerns come on the heels of comments made by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, who refuted that Malaysia is facing its fourth wave of Covid-19.
Less than a week ago, he was reported as saying that the country has not entered the fourth wave as it has yet to succeed in containing all cases in the third wave.
“In the last three weeks, the number of infections has yet to show a decline during the third wave of Covid-19. Malaysia has not yet entered the fourth wave.
“The fourth wave will occur only when the third wave has reached the baseline, or zero (cases), and the transmission starts again.”
Dr Adham said Malaysia will experience a fourth wave of Covid-19 only in the event of a decline in compliance with standard operating procedures among the public, resulting in the emergence of new clusters.
He said activities earlier this month, such as gatherings, weddings, and sending students to schools and universities in different states, have caused the climb in cases this time.
Yesterday, Malaysia logged 2,340 fresh infections and 11 deaths, bringing the cumulative cases to 381,813 and death toll to 1,400. – The Vibes, April 22, 2021
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