By Melati Mohd Ariff
This is a round-up of COVID-19 related matters in Malaysia and globally from May 2 up to 12.30 pm today. In Malaysia, case numbers have exceeded 6,000 and globally, the virus has infected nearly four million people and caused over 260,000 deaths. More than 200 countries and territories are affected by the pandemic.
KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 (NNN-BERNAMA) – Malaysians probably heaved a sigh of relief when the number of daily new COVID-19 cases returned to two digits following a spike in confirmed cases over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the number of patients making full recovery continued to rise, in line with the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) statement that the nation is now in the recovery phase.
On Saturday (May 2) and Sunday (May 3), the number of new confirmed infections shot up to 105 and 122 respectively after double-digit figures were reported for over two weeks.
After the weekend spike, the numbers returned to two digits on Monday (May 4) with 55 new infections reported that day. On Tuesday, there were 30 new cases, Wednesday 45 and yesterday 39.
Together with the 39 new cases reported yesterday, Malaysia’s cumulative COVID-19 cases stood at 6,467. The number of active cases stood at 1,584.
Thursday, 74 patients were discharged, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 4,776, which meant that Malaysia’s recovery rate stood at 73.9 percent.
Nineteen COVID-19 patients were in intensive care units with eight requiring ventilators. Total deaths stood at 107 (no death was reported yesterday), which puts Malaysia’s COVID-19 fatality rate at 1.65 percent.
When fielding questions from reporters during his daily media briefing yesterday, Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah said Malaysia has not entered the exit strategy phase (post-COVID-19) yet as it was still recording two-digit new infections daily.
He said any effort to draw up an exit strategy will be done in accordance with guidelines set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
He said MOH will monitor the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia over the next two weeks with the implementation of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) beginning May 4.
NEW CLUSTERS
The government, meanwhile, has ordered all foreign workers to undergo COVID-19 screening, with the cost to be borne by their respective employers.
This week, MOH identified two new COVID-19 clusters, one at a construction site at Jalan Ampang here where 28 cases of infection were reported among the workers.
Ten positive cases have been reported in the second cluster involving the security guards of a shopping mall in Cheras here. The guards, nine of whom are Nepalese and one Malaysian, live in the same place.
Others staying with the infected guards, as well as the workers of a supermarket located in the same shopping mall, were also tested for COVID-19. Out of the 436 people screened, 10 were found positive and 347 negative, while 79 are awaiting test results.
Other COVID-19 clusters identified earlier include those linked to the tabligh gathering at the Seri Petaling Mosque, Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market, imported cases from Italy, church gathering in Kuching (Sarawak), wedding feast in Bandar Baru Bangi (Selangor), Chow Kit market (Kuala Lumpur), Sendayan (Negeri Sembilan), Pesantren (Malaysian students who returned from an Indonesian Islamic boarding school in East Java), Kampung Baru (Kuala Lumpur) and Ayer Merbau madrasah (Melaka).
Nearly 40 percent of the total COVID-19 cases in Malaysia hailed from the Seri Petaling mosque tabligh cluster.
CONTROLLED MOVEMENT CONTROL ORDER
Most economic and social activities are now allowed under the CMCO, implemented since Monday. However, activities involving large gatherings where the public face risk of infection are still not allowed.
Businesses allowed to operate must adhere to strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the MOH that are based on data collected and the best practices determined by WHO.
The SOPs include the requirement to observe social distancing, wash hands frequently and wear a face mask. The public has been told to report to the Health Department immediately if they have information on any COVID-19 infection.
As Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin stressed when announcing the CMCO on May 1, the reopening of certain business and social sectors would be done in a controlled and cautious manner. He had also urged the people to practise self-discipline.
STAY AT HOME
Meanwhile, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob reminded the people to stay at home and only go out if it is urgent.
He said the MCO and regulations issued under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act were still in force. This is because the war against COVID-19 has not ended and even though certain economic restrictions have been eased, the public has not been given the green light to leave their homes as they like.
He also said that the 10 pm to 6 am inter-district travel restriction has now been lifted but inter-state travel is still banned. However, according to the senior minister, inter-district travel during the Hari Raya celebrations will not be allowed.
Meanwhile, the police received 605,723 applications from members of the public stranded in their hometowns or kampung to return to their homes in various cities. Four days, from May 7 to10, were allocated for their inter-state trips.
Currently, 10 districts are classified as COVID-19 red zones. Among them are Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Batu, Kampung Baru, Kluang, Petaling, Hulu Langat, Seri Petaling and Kota Samarahan.
GLOBAL SCENARIO
According to statistics by CoronaTracker (which cites figures from various agencies including WHO), the total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide now stood at 3,916,388 and deaths 270,711. The total number of people who have recovered stood at 1,343,054.
The United States has maintained its position as the nation with the highest number of cases. It has now recorded 1,292,623 cases and 76,928 fatalities.
Spain takes second place with 256,855 cases and 26,070 deaths. Next comes Italy with 215,858cases and 29,958 deaths, followed by the United Kingdom with 206,715 cases and 30,615 fatalities.
China, where the COVID-19 outbreak started in December 2019, only recorded a slight increase in new infections. Its total cases now stand at 82,886 with 4,633 deaths.
As for Malaysia’s neighbouring nations, Singapore tops the list with 20,939 cases and 20 deaths, with a substantial number of the cases involving work permit holders staying in hostels; Indonesia 12,776 cases ( 930 deaths), Philippines 10,343 (685), Thailand 2,992 (55), Vietnam 288 (0), Brunei 141 (one), Myanmar 176 (six), Cambodia 122 (0) and Laos 19 (0).
Other countries with substantial numbers of COVID-19 cases include:
Russia 177,160 cases (1,625 deaths), France 174,191 (25,987), Germany 169,430 (7,392), Turkey 133,721 (3,641), Brazil 135,773 (9,191), Iran 103,135 (6,486), Canada 63,895 (4,280), Peru 54,817 (1,533), India 53,045 (1,787), Belgium 51,420 (8,415), Holland 41,774 (5,288), Saudi Arabia 33,731 (219), Switzerland 30,126 (1,810), Mexico 29,616 (2,961), Equador 29,420 (1,618), Portugal 26,715 (1,105) and Pakistan 24,644 (585).
COVID-19 BACKGROUND
According to the WHO website, its China country office was informed of cases of pneumonia that were detected in Wuhan on Dec 31, 2019. On Jan 7, the Chinese authorities confirmed that the novel coronavirus can be transmitted from human to human.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-COV).
A study of the virus’ genetic sequence suggested similarities to that seen in snakes and bats. China health officials identified the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan as the source of the transmission of the coronavirus.
On Feb 11, WHO announced the official name of the virus, COVID-19, which is an acronym for coronavirus 2019 – CO stands for corona, VI for virus and D for disease.
On Jan 30, WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global emergency. By then, it had spread to 18 countries and caused 170 deaths. On March 11, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by WHO.
WHO has described the COVID-19 outbreak as 10 times more dangerous than the A H1N1 Influenza, also known as Swine Flu.
Swine Flu, which occurred between January 2009 and August 2010, infected more than 1.6 million people and caused 18,449 fatalities.
The International Monetary Fund has warned that the global economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will be worse than the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Translated by Rema Nambiar
–NNN-BERNAMA
