Kit Siang: No nation can win war against Covid-19 until vaccine developed

CORONAVIRUS | No nation can win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic until an effective vaccine is developed, said Lim Kit Siang.

Noting that it would take between 12 and 18 months or longer to develop a vaccine, the DAP veteran reiterated the importance of restarting the Malaysian economic engine which has come to a grinding halt since the movement control order (MCO) was imposed on March 18.

Lim was responding to Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah's remark yesterday that “although we have not won the war yet, neither have we lost the war.”

However, the Iskandar Puteri MP said since the infection rate has fallen below 200 in the last five days, the MCO has been successful in curbing the spread and mortality of Covid-19.

“If this epidemiological curve is sustained, the case for the lifting of the MCO though with conditions to deal with any resurgence of the novel coronavirus, will be irresistible.

“There is no proper answer as to what is the best exit strategy for a full or partial lockdown as different countries impose varying variations for their Covid-19 lockdowns.

“But one thing is certain. Until an effective vaccine is developed, life can never be the same again, and a new norm must be observed which includes social distancing as a long-term lifestyle, cleaning hands and surfaces as a new norm, no large public gatherings, screening of all travelers into the country, ramping up of mass testing capabilities, use of technology to trace contacts, etc,” he added.

Therefore, he reiterated that Malaysia must develop its own exit strategy, which must meet the purpose of ensuring that the Covid-19 virus is sufficiently contained to allow the economic engine to restart and for lives to return to as much normalcy as possible.

Lim once again highlighted the possibility of implementing a plan based on the four coloured zones for Covid-19 infections for controlled easing of the restriction of movement.

“The National Security Council and Ministry of Health should issue a daily release of the current status of each district, and not just the cumulative figures of infections as is the present practice.

“So far, 23 (this has since risen to 24) districts have been declared as red zones but these are based on outdated data as they use cumulative figures without taking into consideration recovered cases. If recovered cases are taken into account, we should have far fewer red zones.

“In the new scheme of things in post-MCO, the country can be divided into four coloured zones, where there is no restriction for the green and yellow zones. While the orange and red zones will be subjected to restrictions, not only to save lives but not to cripple the economic system,” he added.

A particular district is considered a red zone if it records more than 40 Covid-19 positive cases whereas an orange zone has between 20-40, yellow 1-19 and green is free of infections.

Earlier, the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia called on the government to extend the MCO beyond Hari Raya, fearing that a balik kampung rush could worsen the situation.

The MCO was scheduled to end on March 31 but was extended until April 14. The government is expected to announce if there would be another extension after reviewing the data from the Health Ministry tomorrow. - Mkini