MOH: 36% Of Malaysia’s Covid-19 Cases Are Sporadic

Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah says booking a Covid-19 vaccine before the availability of clinical data is necessary to secure supply for Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — Some 35.7 per cent, or 23,480 of Malaysia’s 65,697 Covid-19 cases, are unlinked community infections, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.

“This shows that the virus is already in the community where the sporadic cases are increasing,” the Health director-general said during his daily press conference on Malaysia’s Covid-19 cases.

He did not explain how many cases in the current third wave, which began late September or early October, were sporadic.

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak, in a Facebook post, pointed out that for the past two months, the highest unlinked Covid-19 cases were seen in the country’s poorest state, Sabah. Najib said that the unlinked cases are the most dangerous, as they are unrelated to any clusters that have been identified and each sporadic case is able to give birth to a new cluster.

Besides that, Dr Noor Hisham also said that 100 per cent of people in any area that is being put under a targeted enhanced movement control order (TEMCO) will be tested for Covid-19.

Recently, during an exclusive interview with CodeBlue, Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said that only 10 per cent of the population in TEMCO areas will be tested. He said that Malaysia’s strategy in screening for Covid-19 is by using a targeted approach and not by mass testing.

Earlier today, Senior Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the extension of the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) in the workers’ dormitory of Top Glove factory workers in Meru, Klang for an additional two weeks. The extension of the EMCO is from December 1 till December 14.

Dr Noor Hisham said that so far, a total of 6,595 individuals have been screened from the Teratai cluster, which is linked to Top Glove, with a total number of positive cases of 4,260. This means that the cluster has a positivity rate of 64.6 per cent.

He also said that booking a Covid-19 vaccine before the availability of clinical data is necessary to secure supply, citing how previously during the second coronavirus wave when the government intended to purchase more personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators, there weren’t enough to purchase.

“Our worry is if the vaccine is registered, then it will become like the second wave when we wanted to buy ventilators, the ventilators weren’t enough. Everyone wanted to buy ventilators,” the Health director-general said.

“At least, we have booked and made an agreement, which is to get the supply of the vaccine. This is our proactive measure.”

Malaysia so far has managed to secure Covid-19 vaccines for 30 per cent of its population, out of which 10 per cent is from the global COVAX Facility and 20 per cent is from a purchasing agreement with US pharmaceutical company, Pfizer. The government is planning to immunise 70 per cent of its population with a Covid-19 vaccine in order to achieve herd immunity.

National Covid-19 Highlights

Malaysia recorded 1,212 new positive Covid-19 cases, bringing the cumulative Covid-19 cases to 65,697 cases.

The breakdown of the 1,203 locally infected cases according to states is as below:

  • Selangor: 402 cases
  • Sabah: 326 cases
  • Negri Sembilan: 141 cases
  • Kuala Lumpur: 119 cases
  • Penang: 60 cases
  • Johor: 54 cases
  • Perak: 43 cases
  • Kedah: 31 cases
  • Labuan: 30 cases
  • Sarawak: two cases
  • Pahang: two cases
  • Kelantan: one case
  • Putrajaya: one case

Three new clusters were also reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH) today. Details of each cluster is as below:

  • Jalan Lapan cluster: Detected in Hulu Langat, Selangor and Cheras, Kepong, Tittiwangsa, and Lembah Pantai in Selangor during a symptomatic screening.
  • Batu Sembilan cluster: Detected in Kuala Langat, Klang, Petaling and Kuala Selangor in Selangor during a symptomatic screening.
  • Nibong cluster: Detected in Johor Bahru, Johor during a symptomatic screening.

Currently, there are 10,578 active Covid-19 cases, including 113 patients in the intensive care unit and 42 patients on ventilator support.

Three new deaths were reported today, bringing the total number of casualties to 360.

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