‘Global solidarity is essential to overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic. Our collective efforts to keep supply chains open, and ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines, are the first steps toward a more sustainable recovery for all.’ – Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong
With the recent reported surge in COVID-19 cases again in Malaysia and Singapore, the public have been urged to be vigilant and to take necessary precautions.
Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii has advised the public to wear masks, wash their hands with soap, avoid crowded places and focus on boosting immunity and self-care.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) reported that the cases had nearly doubled in its update last Thursday (Dec 15), rising from 6,796 cases in the 48th Epidemiological Week (ME48) to 12,757 cases for ME49 covering the Dec 3-9 period.
Dr Yii explained that the recent surge in COVID-19 cases aligned with global trends, with many countries, including Singapore experiencing spikes in COVID-19 and other flu-like illnesses.
He said the recent surge was likely due to several factors including waning population immunity, increased travel and community interactions during the year-end festive season and the presence of the highly infectious Omicron variants (XBB.1.16, XBB.1.5 and EG.5.5), which were predominant in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has recommended a third booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, especially for vulnerable and high-risk groups following the recent increase in cases.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad revealed there were sufficient stocks of vaccines available to protect the public from mutated infections and new COVID-19 variants.
He said the booster dose was necessary to protect vulnerable groups including senior citizens and those with comorbidities who were susceptible to risks and harmful effects.
He added he had told the Cabinet about the current situation and that it should pay attention to it.
Meanwhile, in an online report carried by The Star yesterday, former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said it was time for Malaysians to get serious about safeguarding themselves against COVID-19.
While congratulating Dr Dzulkefly on his recent appointment as Health Minister in a joint statement with former Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Ong Kian Ming, Khairy said the country needed to be prepared for a possible outbreak of the virus.
Both Ong and Khairy suggested Dr Dzulkefly consider several measures in preparation for a prolonged surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, adding that cases reached a yearly high of 29,129 cases on Dec 11.
They called on the minister to reinstate the Test, Report, Isolate, Inform, Seek (TRIIS) framework to alert the public that they should take preventive measures and for the public sector to be prepared for the possibility of a new wave of infections.
The Health Ministry, they added, should also recommend booster shots, especially for those in vulnerable groups.
The ministry, they said, should work together with the Finance Ministry to facilitate a transparent procurement process for the latest variants of booster vaccines that are available in the market.
When my friends learnt that they might have to go for a third booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccines, their initial reaction was “Oh, no. Not again.”
This was because some of them fell sick after getting the first or second booster shot previously.
Personally, I await further instructions from the Ministry of Health. If it decides I should go for the third booster shot, then I will obediently go to the designated medical centre or polyclinic.
Last night, I checked the MySejahtera app on my handphone for the first time in many months for the latest update on the third booster shot. The app was my friend during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic about three years ago.
An application developed by the Malaysian government to help in managing the COVID-19 outbreaks in the country, MySejahtera allows users to perform health self-assessment on themselves and the families.
It also enables the Ministry of Health to monitor users’ health condition and take immediate actions in providing the treatments required.
During the COVID-19 pandemic previously, the Ministry of Health informed me and the Malaysian public when and where to get our booster shots.
When it is time for me and other Malaysians for our third booster shots, we will learn when and where to go again from the MySejahtera app.
Some members of the public don’t want to take part in any vaccination programme because of personal reasons including fears of the side effects.
My friends, do you know that recently, the Shah Alam High Court dismssied two judicial applications filed by five school teachers and 19 Universiti Malaya (UM) staff against the government’s circular that made the COVID- 10 vaccination compulsory for them?
According to Bernama, Judge Shahnaz ruled that the service circular did not violate the constitutional rights of the teachers and UM staff and that public servants, unless medically ineligible, were required to comply with the service circular which was legal and served a legitimate public health purpose.
The teachers filed their application on Oct 27, 2021 against six respondents while the UM staff filed theirs on Oct 29, 2021 against four respondents.
Both groups had argued that as public servants, they should have the freedom to choose whether to take part in the vaccination programme.
They claimed the government’s mandate violated their basic rights as stated in the Federal Constitution.
They also requested the government to provide them with the results of clinical trials on all vaccines used and information about the reported side effects since the start of the immunisation programme last year.
All applicants argued that the government’s decision to administer vaccines without their consent was unlawful, irrational and unconstitutional.
What actually is COVID-19? According to the World Health Organisation, it is a disease caused by a virus and its most common symptoms are fever, chills and sore throat.
Most people will recover fully without needing hospital treatment but some with severe symptoms should seek medical care as soon as possible. But COVID-19 can cause serious illness and lead to death in some people. People at higher risk include older adults, and the risk increases with age. Also at higher risk for serious illness are people with existing medical conditions.
Since Dec 2019, over 760 million COVID-19 cases and 6.9 million deaths have been recorded worldwide but the actual number is believed to be higher.
As of June 2023, over 13 billion vaccine doses have been administered throughout the world.
The World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020 and ended its PHEIC declaration on May 5, 2023.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a strong impact on the world; it affected the public’s mental health and well-being in many ways, including through isolation and loneliness, job loss and financial instability and illness and grief.
Now, with the recent reported surge in the COVID-19 cases again in Malaysia, Singapore and other parts of the world, is there going to be another pandemic again?
Since none of us knows what lies ahead, let us listen to the experts’ advices and be vigilant. Let’s start taking the necessary precautions against COVID-19 now.
