Rethink policies, practices to prepare for Covid-19 4th wave, PH tells govt

The PH health committee says it is important to understand the four main variables of activity rate, infectivity rate, immunity rate and infectious period.

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) health committee has called for an urgent re-evaluation of policies and practices to manage the high number of Covid-19 cases.

Agreeing with the Health and Sciences Covid-19 Advisory Group of Experts (EAG), the committee said a lockdown would be underpowered to mitigate the fourth wave of infections without the full utilisation of public health tools.

It said the increasing fatality rate and brought-in-dead cases, the high positivity rates and increasing number of sporadic cases were indications that the current system and processes were inadequate.

In a statement, the committee said it was important to understand the four main variables of activity rate, infectivity rate, immunity rate and infectious period.

Activity rate refers to the chances of a positive case infecting others, infectivity rate is the chance of spreading, immunity rate reflects the immune status of the population, and infectious period represents the number of days an infectious person spends in the community.

“We see the role of how FFTIS (finding, testing, tracing, isolating and supporting) of the infected persons, especially the asymptomatic, will help reduce the spread,” it said, adding that this would reduce Malaysia’s reliance on lockdowns or at least to make it as short as possible.

The committee also urged the health ministry to reform its public management of the pandemic.

“Very specific recommendations and key performance indicators of the FTTIS have been forwarded to the health ministry.

“They have adamantly refused to transform their FFTIS policy and it is business as usual in the CPRC (National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre). The nation is paying a dear price for their folly,” it said. - FMT