KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing concurs with the suggestions by Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) advisor Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian on how to live with the coronavirus.
“Covid-19 will be part of our lives in the next few years and will eventually evolve to become a health endemic similar to common cold and flu.
“Nonetheless, there will still be local clusters sprouting at the various regions at any time in Malaysia.
“With its occurrence, we must try to contain the Covid-19 clusters regionally or locally instead of viewing it as a national pandemic that requires total lockdown,” he said.
He further noted that it would necessitate the government opening up the industries sector by sector with stringent standard operating procedures as advised by medical experts.
“I am sure that the spike of cases will continue similar to the common cold and flu in our society as it was in the old days.
“Hence, a periodical booster of the vaccine for the virus may be required as we did with the influenza shots in the past.”
Masing opined that the media needed to understand the health data provided and to interpret them in the manner that would not cause panic among the people.
“That is, they need to state which percentage of the positive cases are life threatening and which percentage are similar to common cold.
“It is important for the news media and the portal to not sensationalise the figures provided by SDMC. That is just irresponsible journalism!”
