Let us conduct mass testing at factories, Chow tells Putrajaya

 

The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers in Penang had submitted a joint proposal with the state government in January for mass testing to be conducted at factories.

PETALING JAYA: Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow wants the federal government to approve the state’s initiative in wanting to conduct mass Covid-19 testing using the Deep Throat Saliva (DTS) method  for factory workers.

Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow.

He cited a joint proposal by the state government and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) in Penang that was submitted to Putrajaya on Jan 15, as well as another proposal by FMM to the health ministry on May 7.

“It is only right that the government approves it because FMM’s proposal is for the mass testing to use the RT-PCR method based on the Deep Throat Saliva (DTS) method, which is also in line with the health ministry policy on detecting cases in the community,” Chow said in a statement today.

“For the mass testing, the factories are willing to bear the cost for their workers. This ‘pool testing system’ will also bring down costs considerably.”

Chow also appealed to the federal government to review the state’s earlier suggestions on its vaccination plan that will be sponsored by private entities.

“There are about 100 private clinics here who are willing to administer Covid-19 vaccines for free to the public,” he said.

According to Chow, a total of 57,666 tests were conducted for individuals with close contacts between April 25 and May 8, and a total of 2,676 cases were detected. - FMT