Health director shares stories of how Covid-19 spread in Terengganu

 

The East Coast state of Terengganu has recorded triple-digit Covid-19 cases on five out of seven days over the past week, while having one of the highest infectivity rates in the country.

To the state’s health director Dr Nor Azimi Yunus, none of this came as a surprise and she said the state may hit a triple-digit in cases again today.

On her Facebook account, she shared five stories to illustrate how disregard for the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) have allowed the disease to spread rampantly through the state.

In the first instance, Nor Azimi (above) said, 18 friends had gathered at an empty house in Setiu.

This gathering resulted in 17 people, comprising the friends and their family members, testing positive for Covid-19, and 162 people being traced as close contacts.

Next, one person tested positive while undergoing pre-employment screening in Johor, so the jobseeker’s family members in Dungun were also tested.

“In the end, 41 family members and friends tested positive simultaneously, and 245 close contacts were traced.

“It turns out there are several houses in the same compound and it is common practice to go house-to-house,” Nor Azimi said.

Covid-19 not taken seriously

For the third instance, a breaking of fast event was held for 20 people, resulting in the Bukit Pauh cluster in Dungun that infected 78 people and has 496 classified as close contacts.

Covid-19 tests being carried out in Terengganu.

When it spread to Kuala Terengganu, some of the cases held discussions at eateries or supper after tarawih prayers. This resulted in two of their friends being infected.

Fourth, a group participated in communal cooking for breaking of fast at a surau in Marang. Twenty-six people ended up infected, and 283 close contacts were identified.

Fifth, a person went to a meeting in Kuala Lumpur and did not conduct any risk assessment prior to returning to work. Thirty-six people became infected and thousands of people had to be screened.

“Tens of stories can be shared to draw lessons from and confirm that SOPs are not being followed. All the SOPs are being ignored. Why? Because they are apathetic, and take SOP compliance lightly. Everything is considered bothersome and a mere concoction.

“We don’t know the status of our friends at such social functions. We only find out when they are confirmed positive and we ourselves become close contacts. If we are, unfortunately, we might turn out to be positive too.

“The lesson is, don’t take Covid-19’s infectiousness lightly. Even for just having a discussion on how to mark exam papers, three teachers ended up being positive,” Nor Azimi said, urging people to stay at home.

'Prayers in the dark' blamed for EMCO

Meanwhile in Kelantan, Harian Metro reported that residents in Kampung Pauh Lima, Bachok, resorted to praying in the dark in order to evade detection by the authorities, despite a limit of only four worshipers to be present at a local surau.

It quoted a 45-year-old resident, who declined to be named, blaming covert activities at the surau as the reason behind the Covid-19 outbreak in the village.

“They perform five prayers a day as usual. It’s just that during the daytime, there aren’t as many as at night. During tarawih prayers, the attendance is high and they would pray in the dark and hide their slippers.

“I feel slighted and disappointed by these people because the result is the whole village suffers from their stubbornness,” the resident was quoted as saying.

The government has imposed an enhanced movement control order on the village, and another village of the same name in Kota Bharu, starting today. This is to curb a rising number of Covid-19 cases in the two villages.

Another resident of the village in Bachok, a 50-year-old who goes by the name Yah, said what transpired has angered other villagers, especially those who have followed SOPs.

“I heard of congregants who had cough and fever, but they still go to the surau for tarawih prayers.

“I don’t understand why some are too stubborn to follow instructions. They are chasing pahala (rewards in the afterlife) at the wrong place.

“When an EMCO is implemented, everyone is affected and not just those who violated SOPs,” Yah was quoted as saying.

The Malay-language daily also quoted state health director Dr Zaini Hussin saying that his department is still investigating whether Covid-19 cases in the village are linked to surau activities or not. - Mkini