Bandar Kuching MP: Be vigilant, take all necessary precautions against Covid-19

KUCHING (Dec 14): Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii has appealed to the general public to continue to be vigilant and take all necessary precautions to protect themselves as well as their family and friends against Covid-19 in light of the recent hike of cases.

He made this appeal following the Health Ministry’s precaution after reported cases almost doubled from 6,796 cases in the 48th Epidemiological Week (ME48) to 12,757 reported cases for ME49 from Dec 3-9.

“This is consistent with global trends with many countries including our neighbour Singapore experiencing Covid-19 spikes and other flu-like illnesses,” he said in a statement.

According to Dr Yii, the latest Covid-19 surge is likely due to a number of factors including waning population immunity, increased travel and community interactions during the year-end festive season and the highly infectious variant of Omicron XBB.1.16, XBB.1.5, and EG.5.5 which are predominant in the country.

He pointed out that even though it is a cause for concern, it is not a reason to panic.

“While these variants are known to be highly infectious, they generally do not result in severe cases. Even though in most cases, the symptoms are milder than before (98 per cent), some experiencing low grade fever, runny nose and sore throat, we must continue to take all necessary precautions,” he said.

He thus advised all to mask up again especially in crowded places.

“While at this time, the Health Ministry has no plans to make mask mandatory again, but it is always good to take self-initiative,” he said.

Dr Yii also encouraged the elderly and those with comorbidities to consider a booster dose for better protection.

He said they can get a booster dose at government hospitals for free and the available vaccines are Sinovac.

“On top of being on high alert and standby in the healthcare facilities for any eventualities, I believe the government should also ensure the stock of self test kits are sufficient and still encourage self-testing to protect oneself and those around us.

“All cases can still be reported on MySejahtera for us to have better data coverage and better understanding of the disease burden on the ground,” he added.