KUALA LUMPUR: The reasons for the exponential increase of Covid-19 education clusters include failure to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOP) and disregarding quarantine rules.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said these were identified by the various district Health offices in which education clusters and cases had appeared.
He said among other reasons were individuals who were symptomatic but still attended classes and detected late; crowded spaces that were not cleaned and disinfected periodically; and, poor ventilation systems in classes and hostels.
He revealed that 107 clusters in the education category had been reported between Jan 1 and 25, involving 4,633 cases.
Dr Noor Hisham said of these reported cases, 4,092 were fully vaccinated and 112 had received the booster shots.
"The majority of the cases, or 99.7 per cent, were under Category 1 (asymptomatic) and 2 (with mild symptoms) without lung infection.
"The remaining 12 cases were under Categories 3 and 4. All of them are stable and now receiving treatment at health facilities," he said in a statement today.
Dr Noor Hisham said cases were rising following the reopening of school sessions starting Jan 9.
"During the 1st Epidemiological Week (EW), only three educational clusters were detected. However, the number rose after schools reopened during the 2nd EW with 15 clusters were recorded.
"A 313 per cent increase was reported during the 3rd EW. On the 4th EW until Jan 25, we have recorded 26 new education clusters," he said.
Dr Noor Hisham also revealed that of the 107 education clusters, 56 or 52.3 per cent were linked to educational institutes under the Education Ministry; 24.3 per cent from other educational institutes; 20.6 per cent involved higher education; and, 2.8 per cent involved private educational institutes registered with the Education Ministry.
He said the Health Ministry held a special meeting with the Education Ministry, the state Health departments, the National Public Health Laboratory, the Higher Education Ministry, the National Unity and Integration Department as well as with the Islamic Development Department on Jan 22 to discuss the increase in cases involving education institutes.
Dr Noor Hisham said one of the proposals to reduce Covid-19 infection in educational institutions was making it compulsory for students to immediately report to teachers, wardens or student reps whenever they displayed mild symptoms such as flu.
Other proposals include conducting a quick risk assessment so that students who test positive with Covid-19 positive can be isolated, followed by immediate close contact tracing.
Dr Noor Hisham said school managements must prepare suitable places to isolate positive and close contact cases; ensure all stakeholders follow the SOP set by the Health Ministry and the National Security Council at all time and make sure a good ventilation in classes, hostels, and closed spaces.