MP calls for 10,000 extra staff to trace Covid-19 contacts

 

Dr Lee Boon Chye says there is SOP fatigue among the public.

PETALING JAYA: Amid a new surge of Covid-19 infections, a former deputy health minister has called for a more aggressive detection strategy, with 10,000 extra staff to be employed in a contact tracing network.

Gopeng MP Dr Lee Boon Chye, who was a member of the previous government, said the surge of recent Covid-19 infections showed a need for the National Security Council and the health ministry to review the root cause of failure.

The health ministry reported 2,331 new cases and five deaths on Saturday, and 2,551 cases and 2 deaths on Friday.

Lee said the government should immediately establish a contact tracing network comprising an additional 10,000 special workers supervised by public health officials.

“The spread of the virus can be controlled through mass testing and detection, and isolation of close contacts within 48 hours. This can only be accomplished with an additional 10,000 staff,” he said.

He said the rise in new cases showed that government departments, agencies and ministries had failed to work together in battling the pandemic.

“The burden of control falls mostly on the health ministry. However, the health ministry is already handicapped by constrained resources”.

There is also fatigue among members of the public in complying with the Covid-19 prevention rules, complacency because of the availability of vaccines, confusion caused by frequent changes of rules and a perceived double standard in the enforcement of the law.

Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive Azrul Mohd Khalib said the number of new cases would continue to increase because of Covid-19 variant strains emerging in the country and the increased number of interactions during Ramadan at bazaars, congregational prayers, among others.

“We need to continue to emphasise the basic SOPs such as wearing face masks, practising good hand hygiene and maintaining a reasonable distance during close interactions,” he added.

He said the government’s declaration of a state of emergency had been ineffective in curbing the spread of infections. “In fact, it could be argued that conditions have stalled and deteriorated since the proclamation was made,” he told FMT. - FMT