GEORGE TOWN – New challenges require new measures: that is how a former president of the Malaysian Medical Association recommends managing the war against Covid-19.
“We cannot be doing the same things and expecting better results.
“We need new measures and new efforts to contain this spread.
“If we cheat, the virus will come back to haunt us,” Dr Ashok Philip told The Vibes.
He said new measures are needed since more states are facing the reimposition of a stricter movement control order (MCO) due to a fresh spike in cases over the past two weeks.
However, he believes there is an inadequate number of medical or security personnel to reinforce lockdown measures, since patients continue to trickle into other states and infect others there.
Ashok, who is based in Melaka, said that just yesterday at a carpark in a shopping area, he noticed that the majority of the vehicles were from other states, so it is proven that the ban on interstate travel is ineffective.
“A localised lockdown is better.
“We contain, vaccinate, and sanitise the area before moving to other red zones,” he said adding that more vaccines should be deployed and administered in red zones as part of the updated measures.
He also said that by now, health authorities have amassed a load of data from battling the virus, particularly the tracking data from clusters, their close contacts and their second- to third-generation contacts.
Even if they had tested negative, they should be vaccinated to generate adequate protection in the red zones to stop the virus in its tracks, Ashok said.
“Instead of just a lockdown, we should be using this period to expedite immunisation in the red zones.
“Even if they only get one dose, it is a form of protection where within one to two weeks, their bodies start to develop the necessary antibodies to ward off the virus,” he said.
He also pointed out that Malaysia is inundated with denial syndrome, which makes it hard to contain the virus.
“We should be doing more tests, more isolation, and more vaccination.
“Only then can we see a reduction.
“If we continue with our old ways, I doubt Covid-19 can go away,” he said.
He also said that the people are not fully aware of the contagiousness of the virus; wearing a face mask is not enough, there is a need to sterilise items and practise constant hand hygiene as the virus remains on surfaces.
“Money, when exchanged, may also carry the virus. We need to be vigilant.”
Meanwhile, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, in reacting to reports that the MCO will be reinforced in the state, said that the state is awaiting a study on the MCO by the Health Ministry, which is applying new scientific and big data analysis.
“We were informed that (the ministry) is using the Hot Spot Identification Pandemic Engagement module to predict which areas will become hotspots.”
Penang is waiting for the outcome of the study to determine which form of MCO is needed to contain the bug. – The Vibes, May 2, 2021
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