LETTER | Covid-19 – what else can we do?

LETTER | Yesterday, Covid-19 positive cases in the country reached a new high of 4,029 cases. It seems the government is fighting a losing battle. Is it? The scenario is very different than 10 months ago. Previously, cases were isolated to specific groups, workplace, weddings, etc. Today the cases are appearing everywhere and the primary cause cannot be identified.

Why is the Health Ministry only announcing the total infected figures? At this stage, this number is meaningless especially when the ministry no longer does the pre-discharge Covid-19 test and they decided not to test all contacts. What is the purpose of highlighting the total infected? What message is intended for the community?

A circulating WhatsApp says something that is worth pondering, stating: “Saya tertanya-tanya, apa agaknya rawatan yang diberikan oleh KKM kepada mereka semua...? Apa ubat yang diberi setiap hari oleh KKM kepada semua (113,288 @14Jan 2021) pesakit covid19 ini? Sebab rata-rata bila saya melihat dan membaca perkongsian pengalaman pesakit covid yang ada, mereka beritahu tiada ubat apa-apa yang diberi kepada mereka. Jumlah 113 ribu orang tu bukan satu jumlah yang kecil. Apa kata KKM tampilkan semua testimoni yang ada dan jadikan ia sebagai wadah untuk merencana SOP baru untuk menangani wabak ini?”

In a nutshell, it is saying that based on public information flashed all over the media, 113,000 cases have been “cured” and most people are saying no specific treatment was given. When no specific treatment has been given, can the term cured be used? If there is no pre-discharge negative test result, is it appropriate to use the term cured?

The current movement control order (MCO) is not an MCO by any standard and this increasing number being reported is likely to justify a non-medical purpose. Why has no one asked the ministry to publish the number of cases by severity as classified by National Insitutues of Health (NIH)? With this classification, people can see and judge why the hospitals are crowded. Based on a paper published by Sg Buloh doctors, 92 percent of cases admitted to the hospitals do not warrant hospital admissions.

The ministry has yet to change its strategy despite repeated calls. Why is it not being transparent on the actual number of moderate and severe illnesses? Now it's reported the country has 4,029 new cases and 205 cases are in ICU (severe by NIH Classification). By mathematical deduction, 37,126 cases have been admitted for treatment.

How many of these cases are actually mild, moderate, and severe? Is the ministry intentionally trying to mislead the country on the burden of the disease? What's the objective? Sadly, reporters covering their daily question and answer sessions are not asking probing investigative questions. If one listens carefully, the questions are either planted or had been to the ministry given hours earlier before the press conference.

We call upon the Health Ministry once more to be transparent to everyone in this country so that it gives everyone the opportunity to evaluate the situation fairly and contribute to making Malaysia safe again. Once more, we call on the ministry to publish daily active case maps online and explain how state and local authorities can play a more participatory role.

Without information, misleading conclusions will be made and people cannot contribute. Accept the fact that there are thousands of people with or without medical knowledge that can contribute to the betterment of the nation in the current crisis. 

Accept that pandemic management is no longer the exclusive domain of medical professionals in the current century where plenty of knowledge is available online. Is it the intention to mislead on the severity of the problem in this country? I wonder if I will ever know.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.