PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia could hit 5,000 new Covid-19 cases every day by month-end if drastic action is not immediately taken to control the spread of the infection.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in the country was worrying.
The ministry, he said, was concerned that Malaysia could face a similar situation as India if authorities fail to put in place drastic preventive and mitigation measures.
"As of May 8, the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia stands at 436,944.
"According to the current projected Rt value of 1.10, it is estimated that the number of cases will reach 5,000 a day in the next two to three weeks.
"Nevertheless, the number of daily cases reported for two consecutive days is now approaching 5,000 cases (4,519 new Covid-19 cases reported today)," he told reporters here today.
He said the ministry has always and will continue to carry out preparedness actions on the field, including public health actions.
The ministry, he said, also constantly strives to increase the capacity of hospitals so that positive cases that require admission to the Covid-19 Low Risk Quarantine and Treatment Center (PKRC), hospitals and also the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) can be implemented accordingly.
"Recently, the spread of Covid-19 in the world and also in Malaysia has become more serious.
"The latest cumulative number of cases in the world currently stands at 155.7 million with 3.3 million deaths.
"The country most affected is India, where daily cases increased, crippling the healthcare system.
"Therefore, we need to take a lesson from the situation in India and other countries that face a similar situation so that it does not happen in Malaysia," he added.