The Health Ministry will be setting up a Covid-19 Assessment Centre (CAC) in each district to oversee mild Covid-19 cases, reported Bernama today.
Mild cases include patients with no symptoms (Category 1) and mild symptoms (Category 2) - both who were recently allowed to undergo home quarantine.
There are 150 districts nationwide.
Health Minister Dr Adham Baba told a press conference (above) this afternoon that the CAC will determine which patients will be allowed to undergo home quarantine and which will not.
“Those who are asymptomatic and have a place at home to isolate themselves will be given consideration (to undergo home quarantine).
“If they come from a confined and congested house and have comorbidities, we will not allow (home quarantine) and they will need to go to the hospital,” he was quoted as saying.
Malaysiakini previously reported that the ministry had designed a new Covid-19 response mechanism that included establishing Covid-19 Assessment Centres to monitor mild Covid-19 cases who were placed at home.
On Jan 12, Adham announced that Category 1 and 2 patients with conducive home conditions will be asked to quarantine themselves at home for 10 days. They will be tested at their homes on the last day of quarantine.
Here are the ministry’s guidelines for Covid-19 patients undergoing home quarantine:
Previously, these patient categories were warded in quarantine and low-risk treatment centres (PKRC).
500k to get vaccine by March
Meanwhile, Adham reportedly said today that 500,000 frontline workers will receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine by the first quarter of the year.
They will receive the second dose 21 days after the first injection.
The first shipment of Pfizer vaccines is expected to arrive in Malaysia at the end of next month (February 2021).
“Those who will receive the first dose of the vaccine (the frontliners), their names have been recorded. They have been informed and notified of the matter.
“While for the second category, the vaccination programme will be announced by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin soon,” he said as quoted by the New Straits Times.
He also told TV3 that the ministry will consider a person’s medical history before administering the vaccine.
This includes assessing if a patient had any allergies, immune system issues and if they were on HIV or cancer-related drugs.
The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) gave the Pfizer vaccine conditional approval earlier this month, meaning it can now be administered in Malaysia. - Mkini
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