By Yasmin Ramlan
SHAH ALAM, Dec 7 — With the recent surge in Covid-19 cases nationwide, state executive councillor for public health Jamaliah Jamaluddin has urged the public to remain vigilant and take extra precautionary measures.
Expressing her concern with the current situation, particularly in Selangor, she noted that many individuals appear to be letting their guard down following Malaysia’s transition to endemicity, starting in April last year.
She stressed the transition does not mean the public should stop being aware of their surroundings and health conditions, particularly among vulnerable groups like senior citizens, children, those with underlying diseases, and pregnant women.
“Many now do not care or bother about Covid-19 much because they want to carry on with daily life as usual, like in the past.
“I do understand the feeling of wanting everything to return to normalcy because, in a way, limiting our social activities also affects our mental health.
“However, we still have to be precautious and wary of our surroundings, such as when going to high-risk places or doing high-risk activities. We must also test ourselves if we display Covid-19 symptoms,” Jamaliah told Selangor Journal during a recent interview.
On December 3, Health Director-General Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said the country recorded 3,626 cases during the 47th epidemiology week (ME47/2023) from November 19 to November 25.
This represents a considerable 57.3 per cent increase from the 2,305 cases reported in the previous week.
Of the total new cases, 48 per cent involved those between the ages of 20 and 40, although over 98 per cent only had mild symptoms.
A check on the Health Ministry’s KKMNOW website found the 1,471 confirmed cases on December 1 was the highest in nearly a year. The last time the figure was higher was on December 9, 2022, when 1,597 positive cases were recorded.
The cumulative 13,070 cases logged for the entire month of November was also the highest since June.
On Selangor’s preparation for facing further spike in numbers, Jamaliah said the state is actively monitoring the Covid-19 cases via the Selangor State Health Department (JKNS).
“As of now, we (Selangor) are following the directives of the Federal government in managing Covid-19, which has been categorised as endemic.
“While this is less drastic than the Covid-19 management during the earlier pandemic phase, both the Federal and state governments continue to encourage citizens to take precautions and prevent the spread of the virus,” she said.
Jamaliah also noted the Health Ministry’s statement that despite the increase in cases, the current situation is under control and is not a burden to the health system.
“We will continue to monitor the cases in Selangor and act accordingly based on the ministry’s directives,” she said.
