[UPDATED] 6 potential super-spreaders among Parliament cases, sittings delayed 2 weeks: health DG

KUALA LUMPUR – Of the Covid-19 cases detected in Parliament over the week, six were found to have high infectivity rates with the potential of becoming super-spreaders, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah clarifies amid criticism over the Parliament suspension.

In a statement, he said after assessments, the Health Ministry has suggested that all meetings and sessions in Parliament be delayed for two weeks from July 29 onwards.

He added that this includes physical meetings with individuals who were in Parliament between July 26 and 29.

Dr Noor Hisham said this was one of two options, other than the recommendation that the special parliamentary sitting be postponed until at least 40% of the population in the Klang Valley have been inoculated.

“In the meeting that included party representatives, it was decided that the sitting would be stopped if Covid-19 cases were detected.”

He said the situation is compounded by the movement of individuals in the Parliament building and its closed environment, as well as the number of those aged above 60 with comorbidities.

He added that not all who were in Parliament are fully vaccinated.

“Taking into account that the sitting involved a mass gathering of individuals from the entire country and provides a high risk of Covid-19 infection, especially involving dangerous variants such as the Delta variant that is spreading in the community, the Health Ministry is duly concerned that there could be a spread in Parliament.

“The closed environment of the Parliament hall increases the risk of transmission as the SARS-CoV-2 virus is spread/transmitted through the air and can remain in the environment for several hours,” he said, referencing the New England Journal of Medicine, World Health Organisation and the Atlanta Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Small groups of people are often seen inside and outside the Dewan Rakyat hall while the physical distance is less than 1m, despite plastic barriers.

“Prolonged periods in the House and around Parliament present the risk of repeated exposure. There is also sharing of basic facilities such as toilets, prayer rooms, cafes and so on by many individuals, including confirmed cases.”

He added that continuous risk assessment will be carried out by the ministry, and affected individuals are advised to conduct self-assessment via MySejahtera.

In a recap, he said 2,093 individuals were screened prior to the sitting and 56 tested positive, and another four cases were found via contact tracing.

He added that he had a presentation on the matter at 8am on July 26, and it was attended by the deputy prime minister, security cluster minister, Parliament minister, speaker, deputy speakers, and party reps.

The Health Ministry also prepared self-assessment saliva tests (RTK-Ag) starting July 26, and between July 26 and 28, 104 were screened.

“On July 19, 12.30pm, the ministry was informed of two Covid-19 cases in Parliament – the first being a staffer who had been attending since July 26, and another detected after taking the self-assessment test. 

“The first case showed a CT value of 18.71 while the second case had symptoms of cough and nausea.

“Infectivity is high two days before symptoms manifest and up to the seventh day. With these two cases and one with a CT value of 18.71, the ministry ordered a mass screening of 1,183 individuals in parliament.

“Nine more cases were recorded, bringing a total of 11 (one RT-PCR and 10 RTK-Ag), of which five were displaying symptoms.

“Those who tested positive on the RTK-Ag tests were then given an RT-PCR screening. Eight were confirmed positive while five had high infectivity with CT values of between 12.67 and 18.19.”

He said all the samples were sent to the Institute of Medical Research for a genomic study to identify the virus variants.

“Of the eight cases, only two had been fully vaccinated. They are in a stable condition and have been told to observe home quarantine and wear pink wristbands.

“Another 48 close contacts were identified, although this is ongoing.”

Tomorrow’s Dewan Rakyat session has been suspended. Similarly, the Dewan Negara meet scheduled for August 3 to 5 has been postponed. – The Vibes, August 1, 2021