Selangor Journal
People and families having leisure activities at Pantai Morib, in Banting, on September 11, 2021. — Picture by OTHMAN/SELANGORKINI

Necessary for 90 pct of total population to be fully vaccinated for endemic phase

By Amin Ridzuan Ishak

SHAH ALAM, Oct 6 — Health experts suggested Malaysia can only enter the endemic phase when 90 per cent of the country’s estimated 32.75 million population have been fully vaccinated.

KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital pediatric consultant Datuk Dr Musa Nordin said he disagrees with the Prime Minister’s and Health Minister’s remarks on the phase transition being implemented when 90 per cent of the country’s adult population have been fully vaccinated.

“In my opinion, it must be 90 per cent of the entire population. I do not agree with the (Health) minister and the PM…this is not (according to the) science method if science (it) follows the population.

“If 18 years and above are only 63 per cent (fully-vaccinated) of the population, look at Singapore which has reached 82 per cent (of its population), their cases are still rising and (there is) a new wave every day,” he said.

Dr Musa said this during Media Selangor’s Bual Bicara virtual talk show ‘Adolescent Vaccination, Protect Everyone’ that was aired live on Media Selangor’s Facebook page and SelangorTV Youtube channel last night.

As of October 4, a total of 20,317,843 or 86.8 per cent of the adult population in the country have completed their second dose.

On September 22, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that interstate travel will be allowed when the vaccination rate of the country’s adult population reaches 90 per cent.

Vaccination of teenagers aged 12 to 17 years old is being carried out through the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) for Adolescents, which began on September 20.

On October 2 Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the Selangor Vaccine (Selvax) programme was ready to vaccinate teenagers, to protect them from Covid-19.

The development came after the Ministry of Health’s decision to approve the Sinovac vaccine for teenagers.

Dr Musa added that before stepping into the endemic phase, the government should also ensure that the national health system is able to perform Covid-19 basic prevention according to the international standard approach of find, test, trace, isolate, and support (FTTIS).

“This is set by the world health body, which also states that the positive rate must be below five per cent, but we are still 10 to 15 per cent,” he said.

In May 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) benchmarked a 5 per cent positive testing rate as an indicator of disease control within a country, with rates of less than 5 per cent indicating good control.

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