We’re seeing 4th wave of Covid-19 infections, insist health experts
PETALING JAYA: Despite a denial by the authorities, health experts are insisting that Malaysia is seeing its fourth wave of Covid-19 infections. Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the fourth wave began here on April 1. The Gopeng MP predicted that the numbers would surge over the…
PETALING JAYA: Despite a denial by the authorities, health experts are insisting that Malaysia is seeing its fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.
Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the fourth wave began here on April 1.
The Gopeng MP predicted that the numbers would surge over the next few weeks.
“A wave doesn’t start when cases go to zero. It starts when the cases dip and after that the infections are expected to surge again,” he told FMT.
On April 17, health minister Dr Adham Baba said the country was still caught in the third wave.
Adham said the fourth wave would only happen if cases involving domestic or local transmissions recorded zero in the “current third wave”, before the number of cases increased sharply the following day.
Lee said the first wave of Covid-19 was from Jan 25 to Feb 16, 2020. It happened after the first case – involving three Chinese tourists who had entered Johor from Singapore – was reported.
This was followed by the second wave from Feb 27 to June 30, 2020, involving the Sri Petaling cluster.
The third wave started on Sept 8, 2020, mainly due to the largest contributors – the Benteng Lahad Datu cluster in Sabah and Kedah’s Tembok cluster.
Lee said the numbers would rise because the contact tracing system remained weak. He said there was a severe shortage of manpower to carry out contact tracing and isolating the infected within 24 hours of coming into contact with a positive case.
“Unless and until there is a great improvement in the way contact tracing is done, the numbers are expected to go higher,” he said.
Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Subramaniam Muniandy also said all indications pointed to the fourth wave having arrived, “especially now with the festive season and people moving freely”.
“Cases have been rising quickly the past few weeks and are expected to go higher,” he told FMT.
Subramaniam said Putrajaya needed to find ways to curb the transmission of the disease and reverse the situation.
Malaysia’s Covid-19 cases have been hovering above the 2,000 mark since April 15.
Economist’s warning
Meanwhile, economist Yeah Kim Leng said another large scale lockdown would lead to higher bankruptcies among businesses and individuals. “Once consumption activities are curtailed, it will create a deep impact on our economy.”
He said unemployment would be at an all-time high and the psychological impact that followed would be of great concern.
Yeah said Malaysia cannot afford another large-scale MCO. “The only way out is to do quick testing and isolate the cases to stop new clusters.”
He said health authorities needed to confine MCOs to smaller areas.
“Whatever wave we are in, we need to have targeted lockdowns in areas as small as possible without having any impact on the economy,” he said.
On workplace infections, Yeah said the best that could be done was to shut down the infected premises immediately to prevent the spread of the disease. — Free Malaysia Today