Covid-19: Recoveries cross 50% of total, new cases under 100

By Xavier Kong

HEALTH director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah announced that more than 50% of the confirmed Covid-19 cases in Malaysia have recovered and been discharged, with the number of new recoveries nearly double that of the new confirmed cases today.

There were 85 new cases identified, for a total number of 5,072 confirmed cases. Of these, 2,342 are still being treated, with 56 of these being treated in the intensive care unit, and 32 of that number require ventilator support. There were 169 cases discharged today, for a total of 2,647 recoveries, making up 52% of the total confirmed cases in Malaysia. Another death was reported, with the total death toll now at 83.

Dr Noor Hisham urged Malaysians to continue to observe the Movement Control Order (MCO), as well as for those in essential industries to practise social distancing and good hygiene to protect themselves and their loved ones from infection.

He also shared that, while positive Covid-19 cases in the UK and Italy who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms are told to stay at home, Malaysia isolates these cases in hospitals for monitoring and treatment, leading to better numbers than projected.

The Bali cluster, which saw the patient under investigation infecting his brother, saw his brother’s case misdiagnosed as dengue, which led to the infection of healthcare workers as they waited for the results of the Covid-19 test. Dr Noor Hisham noted that this cluster is being monitored closely.

He reiterated the importance of social distancing when heading out into public areas, calling for Malaysians to stay away from “the three Cs” – confined areas, crowded spaces, and close contact communication.

“These are some of the things we advise the public to do. Masks are an additional layer of protection,” he said.

Still, as the number of active infected cases decreases, community infectivity will also fall, said Dr Noor Hisham. He stated that the target of reducing active cases was 2,033 for today. Though the number of active cases is still slightly higher at 2,342, he noted that “we are still within that range.”

“We hope that, coming into Phase 3 (of the MCO), if we can increase our activity, and do what we have done in Phases 1 and 2, we think that we can bring down the number of infectious cases,” said Dr Noor Hisham.

The 2,342 cases, if can be brought down further, would mean less infectivity in the community, which would lower local transmission as well, he noted.

“This is why our policy in this country is that if you are positive, we will come and get you, whether you are asymptomatic or not,” he added.

With regard to the news of mutations in Covid-19, Dr Noor Hisham noted that the virus is new and has yet to be identified, which means that there are no reports or data to refer to, unlike other viruses of which the identity of the viruses are already known.

“If we can culture the virus on our own with its full genome sequence, where we can tag and identify the nature of the virus, then can we identify the strain,” he said.

To end the update, he reminded Malaysians that there are guidelines from the Ministry of Health on sanitisation of surfaces at home, and advised Malaysians to refer to those. – April 15, 2020