PUTRAJAYA: Random antibody testing in a community, particularly in areas classified as red zones, is among the measures being mulled by the Health Ministry to get one step ahead of the Covid-19 virus.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said such a test would provide data on the number of people infected but who are undetected in a community.
If they have been exposed to the virus, in one week, they would develop antibodies.
“We would use the antibody test kit for this purpose because it’s rapid and only needs a drop of blood. But this is not meant for diagnosis, only to give us data on how many people in a community have been infected but not detected,” said Dr Noor Hisham.
He added that the ministry may need the cooperation of private clinics to gather the necessary data when it’s implemented.
Besides antibody testing, the ministry will also continue to monitor ILI (influenza-like illness) and SARI (severe acute respiratory infection) cases within the community.
If these cases increase, it means the virus is still in the community, he said. However, he noted that at present, the cases are reducing, which is a good indicator on how to plan for the future.
Commenting on an exit strategy for the MCO, he said that while Malaysia has made significant headway in reducing the number of cases, everyone has to continue their efforts as per the first two phases of the MCO to bring the figures down even further.
He said Malaysia has to consistently achieve single digit cases but more importantly, even after the MCO, Malaysians have to change their lifestyle and adapt to a “new normal”.
This, he said, includes avoiding large public gatherings for some time, practicing social distancing and hand-washing, and staying at home unless they really have to go out in order to further break the chain of transmission.
Such activities, he said, will have to change until a vaccine is found, which can take any time between a year or longer.