PETALING JAYA: All states in the country have been advised to step up mass screening efforts in the fight to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Intensive screening of the population is as essential as vaccination to stall the pandemic, health experts say.
Malaysian Medical Association president Datuk Dr M. Subramaniam commended Selangor for taking the initiative to have mass screening done in the state.
“Other states should (understand) the importance of testing for Covid-19 and follow its lead.”
He said more widespread screening should be done if the positivity rate rises above 5%, while urging all state governments not to be complacent even if their daily tally of new cases remains low.
He cited a recent surge in the number of new cases in Kedah as a development that should be viewed with concern. Kedah has recorded more than 1,000 cases per day in the last three days. Yesterday, the state recorded 1,212 new infections.
“Both vaccination and screening are important in bringing infections under control and so long as the number of new cases continues to rise, we should worry.”
He described the high rate of registration for vaccination as “pretty good”, as it shows that most people are keen on it. The latest data from the Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee shows the registration rate has hit 80%. But Subramaniam said it is unclear when herd immunity will be achieved.
“Some experts believe the goal is to render infections less dangerous by vaccination, so we can deal with it like the flu,” he said.
Universiti Malaya professor of epidemiology and public health Dr Sanjay Rampal said the number of new cases reported daily appears to be rising in many states.
“It is important to increase resources for public health services in the states (with high figures) to ensure effective management of Covid-19 through prompt notification and contact tracing.”
Sanjay added that a total of 20.3 million adults have registered for vaccination.
“While the registration rate at the national level is very good, it should be improved in Sabah, where only 40% have signed up.
Registration in some other states are substantially higher. For instance it has topped 62% in Kelantan, 77% in Terengganu, 78% each in Kedah and Pahang and 79% in Perak.
He said state governments should encourage residents to get registered.
“They should consider using well-known vaccinated influencers as ambassadors,” he suggested.
