Selangor Journal
Passengers onboard the LRT public rail transport wear protective face masks and observing the social distancing rules, on May 6, 2020. — Picture by FIKRI YUSOF/SELANGORKINI

No fatality for almost a fortnight

KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — Covid-19 positive cases among non-Malaysians and imported cases constituted a bulk of the new infections reported this week.

Over the last 13 days, no death was reported and the toll remains at 115 (1.39 per cent of the total Covid-19 cases in the country).

After two-digit new cases were reported on Saturday (May 30, 30 cases), Sunday (57), Monday (38), Tuesday (20) and Wednesday (93), a shocking 277 new infections were reported yesterday as of noon.

Malaysians, however, heaved a sigh of relief after Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah revealed that 270 of yesterday’s new cases involved non-citizens, namely illegal immigrants detained at the Bukit Jalil Immigration Detention Depot (DTI) in Kuala Lumpur.

The remaining seven cases comprised four local transmissions among Malaysians, two imported cases and a foreigner.

According to Dr Noor Hisham, the latest developments indicated that the Covid-19 cases among Malaysian citizens have trickled down to single-digit figures.

As of noon yesterday, the cumulative Covid-19 cases in the country stood at 8,247, with active cases totalling 1,573.

Dr Noor Hisham explained that the Bukit Jalil DTI cases involved repeat samples of those detained and quarantined there and that they were previously exposed to positive cases.

As of noon yesterday, 28 more patients were discharged, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 6,559 (79.5 per cent of total Covid-19 cases). Six patients are being treated in Intensive Care Units with two of them requiring ventilator support.

Cases among non-citizens

Last week saw a sharp spike in new cases: May 29 (103), May 26 (187) and May 25 (172), with foreigners – including DTI detainees, security guards and workers of a cleaning company – accounting for most of the new cases.

On May 29, 84 out of the 103 new cases reported comprised non-citizens; 177 out of 187 cases (May 26); and 159 out of 172 (May 25).

On Monday (June 1), Dr Noor Hisham said Malaysia now has to address a new challenge, which was the significant hike in Covid-19 cases among non-Malaysians, including illegal immigrants held at the various DTI.

He, however, urged Malaysians not to stigmatise the foreigners working in Malaysia, saying that “we should instead help to reduce Covid-19 infections in our country”.

The non-citizens infected by the coronavirus are from India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia, Philippines, Egypt, Laos, Nigeria, Libya and Syria.

Same approach

Focused and aggressive public health measures implemented by the various district health offices have succeeded in reducing patient loads at government hospital Covid-19 wards and Intensive Care Units.

Dr Noor Hisham said the same approach is now being used to further control the transmission of cases among Malaysians and non-Malaysians.

District health offices have always played a very important role in the implementation of various measures to prevent and control the infection, he said, adding that the measures are being implemented gradually and continuously.

One of the key actions implemented since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak is the investigation and active case detection of Covid-19 cases.

Covid-19 investigation and case detection include investigation of Covid-19 cases in the field, including their close contacts; house-to-house active case detection (ACD); targeted mass screening; drive-through sampling; and disinfection of patients’ houses and locations where ACD is carried out and other areas identified as high-risk.

Global scenario

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that it is now not only handling a Covid-19 pandemic but also an Ebola outbreak that was reported in Mbandaka in Equateur province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a media briefing on Wednesday that as of now, eight Ebola virus disease cases have been detected and four of the patients have died.

On Covid-19, he said over the past five days more than 100,000 new cases were reported worldwide daily.

Over the last few weeks, he added, the Americas continued to account for most of the cases. WHO also expressed its concern over the accelerating case numbers in Central and South America.

He said the figures were also increasing in Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asian and African nations although the numbers are much smaller.

The number of cases in Europe, meanwhile, is continuing to decline, he said, adding that WHO will continue to step up efforts through its regional offices to monitor the Covid-19 pandemic and provide support services and guidance.

Global statistics 

According to CoronaTracker (which cites figures from various agencies including WHO), the total number of Covid-19 cases worldwide now stood at 6,698,370 and deaths 393,142. The number of patients who have recovered stood at 3,244,574.

The United States maintains its position at the top of the list of worst-hit Covid-19 nations with 1,924,051 cases. Its death toll is 110,173.

Brazil is in second place with 615,870 cases and 34,039 deaths, followed by Russia with 441,108 cases and 5,384 fatalities, and Spain with 287,740 cases and 27,133 deaths.

Other nations in the top 10 list that have recorded more than 100,000 cases are: United Kingdom 281,661 cases (39,904 deaths); Italy 234,013 (33,689); India 226,713 (6,363); Germany 184,923 (8,736); Peru 183,198 (5,031); Turkey 167,410 (4,630); Iran 164,270 (8,071); France 152,444 cases (29,065); Chile 118,292 (1,356); and Mexico 105,680 (12,545).

China, where the Covid-19 outbreak was first reported in December 2019, is now at the 18th spot with 83,027 cases and 4,634 fatalities.

Other countries that have reported a substantial number of Covid-19 cases include: Canada 93,726 cases (7,637 deaths); Saudi Arabia 93,157 (611); Pakistan 85,264 (1,770); Qatar 63,741 (45); Belgium 58,767 (9,548); and Bangladesh 57,563 (781).

In Southeast Asia, Singapore has the highest number of cases at 36,922, with 24 deaths. Indonesia is next with 28,818 cases (1,721 deaths), followed by Philippines 20,382 (984); Thailand 3,101 (58); Vietnam 328 (0); Myanmar 236 cases (six); Brunei 141 (two); Cambodia 125 (0); and Laos 19 (0).

— Bernama

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