KUALA LUMPUR – Those newly infected with Covid-19 can now opt for home quarantine, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.
He said this can be done based on early assessment by medical officials at the Health Ministry’s Covid-19 assessment centre.
The criteria used to evaluate whether one can undertake self-isolation at their personal residences include being asymptomatic or having mild symptoms, not from a high-risk group (such as being elderly or having chronic illnesses), the presence of suitable caretakers, and having sufficient space for self-isolation.
“The Health Ministry advises any individual who has been found positive for Covid-19 to always stay at home and be contactable at all times,” Dr Noor Hisham said in a press statement today.
Among other steps, he advised these infected individuals to ensure they isolate themselves from other occupants of their homes, adding that the rooms they stay in should ideally have their own toilet facilities.
“If forced to share toilets, clean the surfaces touched, such as doorknobs, taps and other items, after being used,” he said.
“Avoid face-to-face contact with other house occupants. If this cannot be avoided, ensure both parties wear masks.”
He added that infected individuals can contact the Covid-19 assessment centre or health clinics if symptoms worsen. They can also contact 999 in the event of an emergency.
3,306 new cases, four deaths today
Dr Noor Hisham said that Malaysia recorded 3,306 new infections and four deaths today, taking the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases to 161,740 and death toll to 605.
The country also recorded 2,293 recoveries, taking the total number recoveries to 122,344.
Seven of the new cases recorded today were imported.
Of the 38,791 active cases, 226 are under intensive care, with 94 requiring intubation.
Selangor recorded the highest number of cases with 1,213, followed by Sabah (432), Johor (329) and Kuala Lumpur (250).
Melaka registered 156 cases, followed by Kelantan (150), Penang (145), Kedah (142), Perak (114), Pahang (84), Terengganu (20), Perlis (16), Putrajaya (15) and Labuan (14).
Two of the deaths today involved a woman and a man aged 78 and 59 respectively. The other two deaths recorded were of a 77-year-old man in Sabah and a 91-year-old man in Terengganu.
Dr Noor Hisham said 107 cases from the total today are from clusters in lockups, immigration detention centres and prisons, involving those in the Jalan Harapan prison (65 cases), Tembok Mempaga (35 cases), Tembok Nanas (4 cases), Damai Pelangi (2 cases), and Pagar Sipu (one case) clusters.
He said the country has thus far seen 660 clusters being reported, including nine new ones detected today. The number of ended clusters is at 361, including two in Sabah – the Mesra and Samudera clusters.
The nine new clusters are Tasik Sg Chua in Hulu Langat, Selangor (60 cases), Kompleks Segamaha in Kinabatangan, Sabah (58 cases), and Bukit Bendera (20 cases), Jalan Suria (24 cases), Jalan Nipah in Kuala Lumpur (29 cases), and Era Duta construction site in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur (20 cases).
The others are the Pulau Lima cluster in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan (9 cases), Jalan TJ cluster in Seremban (39 cases), and the Kafe Genting cluster in Genting Highlands (31 cases).
Dr Noor Hisham also thanked Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for the RM15 billion Perlindungan Ekonomi dan Rakyat Malaysia (Permai) relief package announced earlier today.
He said several initiatives have been implemented to consolidate the national health system to facilitate the management of the pandemic in the country. – The Vibes, January 18, 2021
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