KOTA KINABALU – With tens of thousands of Covid-19 patients undergoing home surveillance, it has become increasingly tough for health authorities to monitor their movements.
Currently, Sabah has patrolling teams empowered by the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) to enforce the law with regard to this group.
Given the high virus caseload in Sabah, the state’s health authorities can only hope patients strictly adhere to home surveillance rules.
Based on Sabah Health Department statistics, there are 32,316 coronavirus patients undergoing home surveillance statewide.
State health exco Shahelmy Yahya said patients need to do their part by ensuring they do not pose a risk to the community.
“Those with the (quarantine) bracelets are not supposed to walk around. We only have Act 342 with which to impose fines if they flout home quarantine orders.
“We also have enforcement teams going around to check if they adhere to the orders. But the communities must also do their part.
“We appeal to those undergoing home surveillance to cooperate and stay home throughout their quarantine period,” he said at the Home Monitoring Call Centre here today.
Those who breach the rules face a fine and two years’ jail.
Sabah has, over the last 14 days, logged 37,319 Covid-19 cases spread out across the sprawling state. Of this figure, 3,457 are being treated at the state’s low-risk quarantine centres, which have a total of 4,820 beds, with the rest believed to be under home quarantine.
The call centre set up to monitor patients under home surveillance has contacted only 8,836 individuals following its reopening on August 11.
It has 15 Health Department workers and focuses on four districts: Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Keningau and Tawau.
The centre, the first of its kind in Malaysia, was opened last October, but closed early this year. It was set up to provide psychological support and handle emergency cases.
Shahelmy said the Sabah government is now looking at the possibility of empowering community leaders to monitor patients under home surveillance.
More vaccines on the way
Sabah is expected to receive 750,000 vaccine doses on top of the more than 500,000 to arrive this month.
Shahelmy said this is part of Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s announcement that several states will see their vaccination capacity intensified.
The additional vaccines will enable Sabah to have a capacity of 60,000 doses per day.
“As of last night, 59.8% of the adult population in the state has received at least one dose, while 40.8% completed both doses,” said the exco.
“This means that the state is on track to attain herd immunity by the end of October at the latest.”
Shahelmy also welcomed the opposition’s call for Sabah to expand its health jurisdiction, saying the state government will discuss the matter.
This comes after state Pakatan Harapan Youth chief Phoong Jin Zhe and United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation’s Kadamaian assemblyman Datuk Ewon Benedick filed a motion in the state assembly to pass a bill on expanding the state’s authority when it comes to public health matters. – The Vibes, September 2, 2021
