MOH expects a spike in positive Covid-19 cases after Raya. However, most of the cases will fall into categories one and two, according to Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He said the MOH had been tracking Covid-19 cases for the past two months and discovered that 99.5 percent of them were in categories one and two, with no or mild symptoms, and that positive case admissions to hospitals and intensive care units (ICUs), as well as the use of ventilators, were on the decline, as was the number of deaths.
He said that Covid-19-related excess mortality in 2020 and the first six months of 2021 was low compared to before the pandemic, but that there was a spike in excess mortality in July and August last year.
However, high vaccination coverage, with adult vaccination rates exceeding 99 percent, adolescent vaccination rates nearing 92 percent, and booster doses approaching 70 percent, successfully reduced excess mortality in August and the following month.
This gives them the confidence to reopen all sectors and return to pre-pandemic conditions, but the war is far from over. According to Noor Hisham, the MOH is continuing to deploy four strategies to combat Covid-19, including vaccination coverage, antiviral medications, and the use of face masks in confined and open but crowded settings. Self-testing is also urged if there are symptoms.
According to Noor Hisham, a total of 1,503 positive cases were documented yesterday, which was a positive development due to the community’s vaccination coverage, which provided herd immunity.
The Ministry of Health hopes that this trend continues so that we can effectively deal with Covid-19 and live with it as it becomes endemic. We can stop the spread if we work together and take responsibility by exercising self-control.
The MOH anticipates the number of cases to increase when the country’s borders reopened on April 1, but it has been on the decline. This demonstrates that the vaccine is herd immunity resistance, and those who are ill and recover have natural immunity. This will aid the Ministry of Health in containing and halting the spread of Covid-19 infection in the country.
Noor Hisham said healthcare workers’ leave was not frozen this year so they could celebrate Aidilfitri because the country’s Covid-19 situation was under control, and it also provided an opportunity for self-reflection so health services’ preparedness could be improved in the event of a surge in Covid-19 cases.
