War on Covid-19 not over, says Health DG

CORONAVIRUS | The people must not get complacent over the falling numbers of Covid-19 infections said Health director-general, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

"Although (the number) of cases is well controlled, but it is not over yet.

"The war is still on, we have not won the war yet," Noor Hisham (photo) said at a press conference in Putrajaya this evening.

The number of the new infections today fell to 54, the lowest yet since the movement control order began, while total recoveries are at 58.5 percent.

Noor Hisham said if new infections remain in the two digits or drops to single digits, it shows that the country is doing well, but the people can't get complacent.

He added that whether the MCO will be extended will depend on science and facts.

Even if the MCO ends on April 28, he said life will not be the same and that certain health regulations must still be followed in order to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

When asked whether there was a possibility that the MCO would be extended into May, Noor Hisham pointed to how World Health Organisation (WHO) decides on public health emergencies of international concern which is to look at three factors - the fatality rate, the infectivity rate and the economic consequences.

“So now in this country, we also adopt these three important questions,” he said.

The fatality rate in the country was still reasonable and low compared to other countries, he said.

Meanwhile, the infectivity rate in Malaysia was currently the number of active cases in the country that is 2,115 cases.

“Those 2,115 patients, they have the potential to infect another person, whereas those discharged and negative will not infect anyone else.

“That is why those 2,115 cases, we admit them (to the hospital) because there is a probability they will infect someone else.

Third, when it came to economic consequences, he said they were now looking at the possibility of reopening other economic sectors in stages to help the economy.

However, Noor Hisham stressed that no matter what it was, the most important thing was for everyone to comply with the Health Ministry’s guidelines such as no public gatherings and maintaining social distancing.