KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Covid-19 situation during the 41st epidemiology week (ME-41), from Oct 10 until Oct 16, presented favourable results when the number of daily infections, deaths, Covid-19 hospital bed utilisation capacity and at the Intensive Care Units (ICU) showed a downward trend.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the positive trend was in line with the increase of the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme coverage which had paved the way for the reopening of activities in various sectors in an organised and convincing manner through the reopening safely initiative.
"New Covid-19 cases had dropped by 17.9 per cent from 63,722 during the 40th epidemiology week (ME-40) to 52,321 during ME-41.
"Fresh Covid-19 infections in Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur have begun to show signs of plateauing.
"The average active cases has lowered by 21 per cent from 133,450 from ME-40 to 105,497 during ME41," he said in a statement today.
On deaths, Dr Noor Hisham said the numbers had dipped by 15.3 per cent from 700 cases during ME-40 to 593 during ME-41.
As for cases that needed to be treated at the ICU, he said it had reduced by 12 per cent from 778 from ME-40 to 684 during ME-41.
Cases that required breathing assistance had also lessened by 11.9 per cent from 331 cases during ME-40 to 292 during ME-41.
As for the nation's Covid-19 infectivity rate, it remained stable hovering between 0.8 and 0.9.
A total of 83 Covid-19 clusters were registered during ME-41, said Dr Noor Hisham, with 27 related to workplace infections, 25 involving the community, 10 centering on education insitutitions while nine and one more are linked to high risk groups and a detention centre.
Dr Noor Hisham added that the utilisation of beds at the Low Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRC) and wards as well as breathing assistance equipment had dropped by about one to three per cent during ME-41 compared to ME-40.
"However, despite the current Covid-19 development which is showing a downward trend, the ministry would like to remind people to always practice public health actions with full discipline.
"Each individual is responsible to protect the health of themselves, their families and the people around them. The initiative to perform a self test is very much encouraged when someone has symptoms, as well as before one leaves for their hometowns.
"This is to protect others. Heighten TRIIS (Test, Report, Isolate, Inform and Seek)," he added.
Dr Noor Hisham said despite the positive progression, the ministry would ready itself to face the possibility of a surge in cases in the future, one way was through the setting up of the National Rapid Response Task Force.
The task force, he said, will be mobilised to states that face an increase in Covid-19 cases.
"It will conduct risk assessment and propose appropriate strategies such as the boosting of hospital capacity, mobilisation of healthcare human resources as well as suitable public health actions at the states or affected areas.
"Through this method, speedier and efficient preparations can be enforced at an identified area which would lead to the containment of Covid-19 cases and stop it from rising," he said.
Dr Noor Hisham also said that up to Oct 16, a total of 25,079,220 people had registered to be inoculated against Covid-19.
"As much as 91.5 per cent of the adult population have received full Covid-19 doses while 67.8 per cent of the overall population have been fully immunised," he said.