KUALA LUMPUR – In his first-ever television interview, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah took the opportunity to point out what he thought may be the cause for mental stress caused by the series of lockdowns due to the spread of Covid-19.
During the hour-long “Covid-19: Apa Lagi Ikthiar Kita” programme which began at 9pm on Bernama TV tonight, Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Mohd Radzi, who was hosting the back and forth, queried Dr Noor Hisham on his thoughts on how the mental health of the population has been affected by the various lockdowns in the country.
In his answer, Dr Noor Hisham suggested that it may be due to strict lockdowns which go on for too long.
“If we look at our efforts to fight Covid-19 before, we did tight lockdowns, but it should not have been for too long.
“The first time we went into a lockdown was on March 18, but by April 18 there was a drop in infections.
“But we extended the lockdown period in expectation of Hari Raya,” Dr Noor Hisham explained.
He also acknowledged that the first lockdown was too tight, that states with low infections were also put under strict standard operating procedures (SOPs).
“When lockdowns are too long, and we attempt to balance the economy and public health, that causes pressure,” Dr Noor Hisham added.
On the question of rising Covid-19 cases that saw infections hit 9,353 infections today, Dr Noor Hisham explained it is due to increased mass targeted testing in the Klang Valley, which has various areas under the enhanced movement control order (EMCO).
“This (rise in Covid-19 cases) is the result of targeted mass testing in the community.
“But most of the cases that are positive are categorised at stages one and two,” he said.
He also took the opportunity to inform that during this phase of the fight against the pandemic, the Health Ministry has more tools at its disposal.
“During the earlier stages of the pandemic, we merely had the public health approach.
“But now we have the weapon of vaccination. If we can ramp it up, it would greatly reduce hospitalisation and ICU (intensive care unit) usage,” he said.
Dr Noor Hisham also said that at the nation’s current vaccination rate, Malaysia may reach herd immunity before its initial target of 2022.
Acknowledging that daily vaccinations are inching towards the 400,000 mark, the country may see 80% of its population vaccinated by early September.
“If we can vaccinate 150,000 individuals a day, we can achieve herd immunity by November.
“Now we have increased our immunisation to around 300,000 to 400,000 daily. So maybe in September or early September, we can see 80% of our population vaccinated.
“In fact, even if we achieve 50%, we can already notice big changes,” Dr Noor Hisham added.
Those facing mental health issues can call Talian Kasih at 15999, or reach out to Befrienders at 03-7627-2929 or [email protected] for support. – The Vibes, July 10, 2021
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