Covid-19: We're not testing enough, says Harapan healthcare committee

 

Pakatan Harapan's healthcare committee today urged the Health Ministry (MOH) to continue mass Covid-19 testing, including testing those who are asymptomatic.

They said it is important to trace cases so they can be quickly isolated and given treatment, adding that the country is currently not testing enough.

"On July 5, the country recorded 6,387 positive cases, but only 66,063 tests were conducted. This is far less than the targeted 150,000 tests that were set by MOH early this year.

"It also means that the positivity rate is 9.67 percent, which is almost twice of what the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended, which is below 5 percent," said the committee in a statement.

They said the country's average positive rate for Covid-19 tests between June 29 and July 5 was 8.25 percent, which is still above the recommended 5 percent set by the WHO.

This, they said, clearly shows the country is testing less than it should and is against the advice of health experts and best practices that have been implemented in countries that have contained the pandemic effectively.

The committee comprises 12 Harapan leaders including former health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad.

The statement came in response to a tweet by Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, who last night shared an article that claimed the WHO now recommends against the widespread screening of people with symptoms.

He has since deleted the tweet, as the article was said to be unverified and was not an official WHO announcement.

"If we read the official WHO recommendation on testing strategies and diagnostics capacities thoroughly, it still stresses on the importance of conducting wide testings, and that diagnostics that are quick and accurate are very important to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19.

"WHO also stressed that all tests must be followed by strong public health responses, including isolation of those found positive, and to provide thorough treatment, contact tracing, and quarantine.

"It is concerning as the article (that was shared) cannot be used as an excuse to justify the drop in the number of testing nationwide, especially when the number of cases is still high all over the country," the committee said.

The committee also provided several examples of asymptomatic testing being practiced by other countries, like the UK and Australia. - Mkini