Vaccination shouldn’t be sole ammo in Covid-19 fight, say doctors

GEORGE TOWN – The government should not put all its eggs in the vaccination basket, as other measures must also be ramped up to address the climb in Covid-19 cases.

Senior consultant paediatrician Datuk Dr Amar-Singh HSS said community testing, good ventilation and physical distancing should still be emphasised in handling the pandemic.

“It is not good to rely only on the vaccine to get us through the pandemic as other variants will appear, and we still can get infected to some degree.

“The tried-and-tested public health measures are good, but people do not strictly abide by them – including wearing a face mask, practising physical distancing, and having good ventilation at workplaces and public spaces.”

He said buildings with central air-conditioning should be equipped with high-efficiency particulate air filters.

“We cannot just talk about having good ventilation; premises owners must improve the ventilation in their buildings. I do not see it happening, and we do not talk enough about it.”

Covid-19 screening is also essential, and must be done within 24 to 48 hours after a person comes into contact with a virus-positive patient, he added.

“After that time frame, the person will infect a lot more people. We should increase tests until the infection rate is at 5% or below.

“We need more data for testing, not just by states but by districts; only then will we get the full picture. Screening has been the weakest link in the whole pandemic response, along with contact tracing.”

Malaysian Medical Association president Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy told The Vibes that vaccination – though effective – should not be the only strategy to reduce hospital admissions, severity of infections and daily caseloads in the long run.

“As the Health Ministry (MoH) may lack resources, screening and vaccination services should be outsourced to private general practitioners. This will help relieve trained MoH staff, who can focus on clinical work.

“States seeing a spike in Covid-19 numbers should learn from the Klang Valley and start testing early for the prevalence of the virus in the community.

“Strengthening Covid-19 Assessment Centres is also critical for early detection in the community, and can help reduce brought-in-dead cases.

“Beds and manpower at public hospitals also need a boost, as the standard of care can be affected when the healthcare system is strained.”

Muda vice-president Dr Thanussha Francis Xavier and executive committee member Dr Mathen Nair said the impending relaxation of rules for fully vaccinated individuals has brought about a feeling of unease.

“It is of great concern that those returning from abroad will be able to quarantine at home.

“The government fails to consider that fully vaccinated individuals may still be infected and transmit the virus to others.

“With the Delta Plus and Lambda variants causing concerns abroad, it is extremely premature to allow those returning from overseas to quarantine at home,” said the duo, adding that this may cause a community outbreak, as others from the household are not under quarantine.

“While the rule relaxation regarding interstate and inter-district travel is inevitable, the government must take into account that although some states are in Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan, their number of Covid-19 cases are steadily increasing, but vaccination rates are nowhere near satisfactory.

“Under these circumstances, allowing dine-in and domestic travel give a false impression that the pandemic is under control, despite large sections of the population still vulnerable.”

They also questioned whether restaurant operators and staff, and those working in the tourism industry have been fully vaccinated. – The Vibes, August 9, 2021