GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Private Medical Practitioners Society said there is no scientific proof the mobile disinfection chamber (MDC) can stop the spread of Covid-19.
Its president, Assoc Prof Dr Sivakumar S. Balakrishnan, said the organisation has not been formally notified that the contraption is effective in curbing the virus outbreak.
He said what has been proven is the virus mainly spreads through droplets from the carrier via coughing, sneezing or physical contact.
He pointed out the MDC, which sprays disinfectant, may be able to kill bacteria and other germs, but it has not been proven that it can destroy Covid-19 completely.
The focus should be on social distancing, good personal hygiene, wearing a surgical mask and monitoring one’s body temperature, Sivakumar said.
“Eventually, the MDC can work as ancillary support in contributing to public health, but just as one of the measures, not a certainty in fighting the virus.”
Sivakumar also raised the need for people to boost their immunity by eating healthy and exercising right.
He was responding to the Penang Island City Council’s decision to ban installation of the MDC in public areas, saying it may generate a false sense of security among the people.
Its president and Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said the council was advised by the Health Ministry that the MDC may give the wrong impression it could “sterilise” people from the virus.
However, Kebun Bunga assemblyman Jason Ong Khan Lee said the disinfection chamber could act as an additional measure to help the authorities fight the pandemic.
He said the device was not new technology, adding that it has been installed in many countries such as China, South Korea and in Indonesia.
Its main purpose is to eliminate bacteria from the clothes of the person walking through the chamber.
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