Covid-19: Expert moots isolating non-critical in community centres

CORONAVIRUS | As Malaysia approaches the possibility of eased restrictions, an expert has proposed that one area the government can explore is reserving hospitals for critical Covid-19 patients.

Universiti Malaya's Dean of Medicine Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman proposed that patients who are low-risk be isolated at community centres instead.

"Perhaps we can modify how we diagnose and manage patients who are low-risk, and those at a high-risk from a public health perspective.

"There are certain things we can do so that we don't all have to be locked up for 18 months waiting for a vaccine.

"We still need to look at every single person infected through screening and contact tracing but perhaps we don't need to isolate them in hospitals but put them in community centres and keep an eye out for those at risk of developing severe diseases," she said.

She added that the government can collaborate with the private health sector to make this workable. Adeeba was speaking at a webinar this afternoon hosted by research institute Refsa.

The Health Ministry has attributed its approach in warding everyone who tests positive for Covid-19 as part of the reason why the virus' spread has not been more severe.

This in comparison to some countries like the UK where those with mild symptoms are sent home to self-isolate themselves.

New infections in Malaysia have decreased to double digits for six days now and there is some anticipation that this would result in the movement control order being relaxed when it ends on April 28.

However, Adeeba warned that the public not to be lax and precautions must still be taken to avoid a new spike in infections.

This includes avoiding mass gatherings, minding personal hygiene and practising social distancing.

"Otherwise, we're going back to square one [...] bear in mind that the virus has not gone away so we still need to take all these precautions," she said.

A vaccine, she said, will take time to develop and will not be available within the next three to six months.

This because there has to be rigorous testing done to make sure that the vaccine does not cause more harm than good.

Meanwhile, Adeeba said there's also a need to look at prisons which she described as "the perfect incubator for an outbreak of Covid-19".

"Prison health is public health so we need to incorporate this whole society approach to include prisons," she said.

She said one approach that many countries have adopted was the early release of those with minor offences.

She said the government could also look deeper into calls for personal drug use to be decriminalised.

She added that although difficult, maintaining the hygiene of prisoners was also important.

A Prisons Department spokesperson previously revealed to Malaysiakini that there are currently 73,000 prisoners being housed in spaces intended to hold 52,000 inmates.

In light of the overcrowding, the government has converted prison academies into temporary jails for those who violate the MCO.

Adeeba said Malaysia needs to shift from the view that prisons as "the answer to every 'sin'" and punish those violating the MCO with fines and community service instead.

The courts have begun to impose deferred community service sentences upon MCO violators which are to be served after the MCO ends. - Mkini