GEORGE TOWN – A medical expert has recommended that Covid-19 close contact cases use self-test kits at home unless they suffer from the virus’ symptoms.
Former president of the Penang Private Medical Practitioners Society Dr Parmjit Singh said by refraining from going to private or public clinics for Covid-19 testing, these individuals can help reduce the infection rate.
Speaking to The Vibes, the doctor said that those seeking treatment or testing can inadvertently expose the public to the disease.
He pointed out that if the individuals classified as close contacts are asymptomatic, they can first use the self-test kits through nasal or saliva swabs to verify if they are infected.
“If they have symptoms, they can refer to the clinic for further testing or treatment, if they are positive.”
He said that the symptoms are akin to the flu and even though the majority of the cases are confined to Categories 1 and 2 of severity, it is best to take precautions and not get infected in the first place.
In its latest update, Penang recorded 2,599 cases together with three deaths.
Cumulatively, the state has 196,305 cases – nearing the 200,000 mark – since statistics were compiled from February 2020 onwards.
The death count shot up to 1,792 as of today.
Meanwhile, Kedah has reported 2,583 new Covid-19 cases in the state.
It registered three deaths including one case of brought in dead, totalling 2,229 deaths, inclusive of 343 brought in dead cases.
The Health Ministry’s CovidNow portal revealed that Kedah has 1,744 active cases.
A total of 26,266 people were under home quarantine, which is 97.4% of the total cases.
It said 268 people have been placed at the various low-risk quarantine and treatment centres, while 411 patients have been admitted to government hospitals.
Eleven are warded at intensive care units, and another 14 require ventilators.
Perlis logged 299 new cases and has 2,057 active cases for a cumulative total of 10,418 Covid-19 cases until yesterday.
Currently, it has 1,895 people under home quarantine while 30 people have been placed at low-risk treatment centres and 127 admitted to hospitals.
It has seen 23 Covid-19 clusters with six active ones. – The Vibes, February 23, 2022
Additional reporting by Ian McIntyre
