PUTRAJAYA, May 20 — The Health Ministry (MOH) today advised the public to refrain from travelling interstate from Covid-19 red zone to other areas, especially to the green zone, in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus.
“If can, do not go back to your hometowns, stay at home and celebrate. Don’t go visiting either,” Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah told a daily news conference on Covid-19 here.
His advice comes following reports about a pregnant woman who tested positive for Covid-19 after travelling from Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, which is a red zone, to her hometown in Kelantan, which had been classified as a green zone since last month.
“She had gone back to her hometown to give birth there. She went to the health clinic there for the screening and was found to be Covid-19 positive.
“Besides carrying out active contract tracing, the MOH is still investigating whether she was infected when she was at the red zone or otherwise,” he added.
Meanwhile, he said the MOH had identified the nine contacts of a student from an institution of higher learning in Kedah who was tested positive when undergoing screening as part of the condition before leaving for Sabah and Sarawak.
Asked about the new drug being developed by China and which is believed to be able to curb the pandemic while waiting for the vaccine, Dr Noor Hisham said the MOH had been notified of the latest development.
“But it’s still at an early stage. Lots of studies are being conducted on vaccines and medicines but what is certain is that they need to undergo research to make sure they are effective. We are still waiting for more information,” he said.
It was reported that a laboratory in China was developing a drug which is believed to be able to cure Covid-19 patients without the use of a vaccine.
The drug, which is being tested by scientists at the Peking University in China, could not only shorten the recovery time for those infected but even offer short-term immunity from the virus.
— Bernama
