601 foreigners among the infected in Malaysia; 242 have recovered

Covid-19 Daily Update
By Xavier Kong

AT his daily update today on the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah shared that the trend continues with more recoveries than new cases.

Sixty-nine new cases were reported, for a total of 5,251 cases. Two hundred and one new recoveries were reported as well, bringing the total number of recoveries to 2,967, leaving 2,198 still in treatment. Of these, 51 are being treated in intensive care units, with 26 requiring ventilator support. Two more deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll to 86. Of those tested, 91,444 individuals were negative of Covid-19.

Dr Noor Hisham also shared that of the 5,251 cases, 601 were foreign nationals, of which 242 have recovered, 356 are still being treated, and three have passed away. Foreign nationals, in this instance, include immigrants, foreign workers, tourists, refugees, and asylum seekers.

Of the 601, 108 cases are Indonesian, 104 are from the Philippines, 63 are Bangladeshi, 60 are from India, and 51 are Pakistani. Dr Noor Hisham noted that the spike in cases in Singapore has been linked to worker dormitories, which has contributed to more than 50% of the cases there.

“Seeing as Malaysia has many foreign workers as well, steps have to be taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the ranks of this segment of the workforce,” he said.

Employers who have a large workforce including foreign workers are required to abide by the following guidelines, which include temperature and symptom screening of staff before entering the work premises, preparing hand-washing stations or hand sanitiser, frequent cleaning and disinfecting, especially in common areas, proper social distancing including in the workplace and the dining area, preventing congregations and gatherings in confined spaces, and practising social distancing when holding conversations.

The Ministry of Health is also working with the United Nations and the various embassies in Malaysia to ensure refugees and asylum seekers are screened as well.

Many of the returning Malaysians who were screened and isolated following the mandatory quarantine have shown only 10 positive cases two weeks after the implementation from the estimated 15,000 who returned during the period.

Dr Noor Hisham also shared that the price of the antigen rapid test kit from South Korea is under RM50, and negotiations are taking place to lower the price, as Malaysia is getting the kits in large numbers.

For the Movement Control Order (MCO) to end, it is important that the country has an exit strategy, and one of the indicators is that the number of cases still being treated, that is to say, the cases that still carry the likelihood of infection, has to decrease. The lower the number of active cases, the easier it is to control the spread of Covid-19.

Another indication is the number of influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections. These have also started falling, according to Dr Noor Hisham, and this may be an indicator that it may be time to end the MCO.

“There may be a case that will be detected, but the important thing is that it does not develop into a cluster. This is why it is important to conduct acute case detections from time to time,” said Dr Noor Hisham, noting that these factors would influence the counsel offered by the Ministry of Health to the government regarding the MCO.

Other factors include the capacity of hospitals as well as that of the laboratories that conduct the testing of the samples, which need to be able to handle the number of cases detected. Dr Noor Hisham reiterated the importance of providing the best treatment possible even for those with mild symptoms or are asymptomatic.

He also warned that, regardless of when the MCO ends, it is still advised that Malaysians not gather, and maintain proper social distancing to prevent another outbreak of Covid-19. Border control of green zones is necessary as well, to prevent these green zones from being infected.

However, the scope of the exit strategy has yet to be discussed by the National Security Council, and “it would be premature for me to give any indications during this conference.”

Regarding the cluster at a factory in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Dr Noor Hisham noted that the 10 cases there were not due to the staff being allowed to work during the MCO, but were outside infections. — April 17, 2020