KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry is advised to implement five strategic measures to control the spread of Covid-19 in the country, including reusing the MySejahtera application.
In a joint statement, former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and former Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Ong Kian Ming said reusing the application could provide reports and monitor the health status of Covid-19 patients.
"At the same time, the health ministry should also deploy data analysis teams (or collaborate with other parties with data analysis capabilities) to analyse new Covid-19 data.
"This is to identify the outbreak pattern based on locations, workplaces, and other demographic patient data. Researchers can also access public data to assist in the analysis," they said in the statement.
Yesterday, Health director-general Datuk Dr Radzi Abu Hassan, revealed that the number of Covid-19 cases in the country had increased from 6,796 cases to 12,757 in the 49th Epidemiological Week (EW 49/2023).
However, Dr Radzi mentioned that despite the sudden increase in cases, the numbers were still under control, and healthcare facilities were operating within their capacity.
In further discussing the necessary steps, Khairy and Ong said the health ministry should also re-emphasise the standard operating procedures (SOP) of TRII, which stands for test, report, isolate, and seek help/treatment among the people.
"This step is crucial so that all parties can take early preventive measures while healthcare facilities prepare to face the possibility of new waves of Covid-19.
"Furthermore, the health ministry should recommend booster shot intake, especially among the vulnerable and high-risk groups such as the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.
"The ministry should collaborate with the Finance Ministry (MOF) to facilitate a transparent procurement process to obtain the latest variant of booster vaccines available in the market.
"At the same time, the ministry should reactivate the immunisation ecosystem nationwide via private clinics, hospitals, and the government," they said.
Khairy and Ong also said the health ministry should closely cooperate with the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) and the Human Resources Ministry to track the spread patterns of infections among factory workers.
"One of the reasons for the occurrence of 'factory clusters' during the previous pandemic was the crowded living conditions of many workers, mostly foreigners, without proper ventilation.
"Stringent actions must be taken against companies that house their foreign workers in poor conditions and fail to comply with international labour standards," they added.
The last step is considering publishing daily Covid-19 death data to remind the public of the dangers of new virus variants and to encourage high-risk groups to take their booster shots.
"The recent surge in Covid-19 cases is expected to be temporary, but based on our experience dealing with previous pandemics, we must be vigilant and take precautionary measures together to protect all citizens residing in our country," they said.