THE Health Ministry (MOH) needs to relook at the current Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) as they are no longer appropriate given the bulk of cases in Malaysia now involves asymptomatic patients, health experts and lawmakers said.

They told The Malaysian Insight that with the Delta variant becoming more prevalent in the community, it is imperative that the SOP is updated to curb further outbreaks.

Health experts said the normal procedure of carrying out temperature checks alone is not enough, adding that a large number of countries are doing away with this measure.

Deputy Health Director-General (Public Health), Dr Chong Chee Keong, had earlier said that an increasing number of asymptomatic people who are not aware that they have contracted Covid-19 are spreading the virus.

These are people who do not show any symptoms of being infected by the virus.

Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said taking body temperature is not effective as most people who have a fever will take medicine to bring their temperature under control and circumvent this barrier,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He gave the example of what happened in Parliament last week where an outbreak was detected even after the Members of Parliament had passed the temperature test when entering the august house.

Segambut lawmaker Hannah Yeoh said current Covid-19 symptoms no longer include fever but people still follow the SOP because it was set by the health ministry.

“This gives people a false sense of safety as their body temperature is not elevated.”

Lim Chee Han, a biologist, also agreed that it was high time the ministry updated its SOP to prevent further infections.

“The current measures, with the exception of vaccination, are not adequate and need to be updated,” he said, adding that by the time a patient develops fever, he may have been infected by the virus for more than two days.

“Even with temperature screening at entrances of buildings and shops, cases remain high.”

Covid-19 cases in the country have trended in five figures despite several lockdowns and a ramp up in the vaccination programme. Yesterday, 20,569 new Covid-19 cases were reported, a new record.

Klang Valley made up more than half of that number with Selangor logging 8,549 cases while Kuala Lumpur had 2,163 fresh infections.

Lim said boosting the country’s vaccination rate was the best way to protect the people and to prevent those who contract Covid-19 post vaccination from developing serious symptoms.

He also suggested that the health ministry improve its delivery of information communicated to the public.

“The number of daily cases does not reflect how many patients have been vaccinated and how many have not,” he said.

“The ministry needs to inform people that while vaccination can help Covid-19 patients from progressing to categories 3, 4 or 5, it won’t prevent them from contracting the virus.

“By informing the public, we can avoid vaccine doubt. It is important that the public know that the vaccine is not a cure-all but is still important as a form of protection.”

Category 1 Covid-19 patients are asymptomatic, category 2 patients show mild symptoms, category 3 patients experience pneumonia, category 4 patients are on oxygen support and category 5 patients are those on ventilators.

Lim said it based on current data, it is clear that the virus has become endemic and the public has to learn to coexist with it, adding that even when most people have been vaccinated, preventive measures must still be in place to ensure that cases are under control.

“Data shows that the Delta variant is as contagious as chicken pox. So, we cannot rely solely on vaccination. The government needs to come up with better guidelines for indoor air circulation systems, masks and social distancing.”

Meanwhile, Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming said even with a large number of asymptomatic people in the community, it is no longer feasible to close all economic sectors but the government can take preventative measures to curb the spread of the virus.

“For example, for people who have frequent interaction with members of the public, they may have to self-test every day (waiters at restaurants) as long as the number of cases in the Klang Valley is high,” he said.

“When the cases drop, then the frequency of self-testing can also decrease.”

Ong said the government should allow the food and restaurant businesses to reopen for dine-in but control the amount of time customers spend at the eateries.

“Limit the time spent by customers at restaurants and coffeeshops to 30 minutes to minimise the spread of the virus. At the same time, similar SOP can be implemented in other economic sectors.”

Lee, who is also Gopeng MP, added that the key to flattening the pandemic curve also lies with the people carrying out their part by going into quarantine as soon as they find out that they have tested positive for the coronavirus.

“This measure will allow those with mild symptoms and their close contacts to undergo self-screening and isolation. However, there is a cost consideration.

“Countries such as the United Kingdom provide free test kits that are sent out to households on a monthly basis.”

Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Rosol Wahid, said on August 3 that Putrajaya has approved a list of home self-test Covid-19 kits.

“We are negotiating the prices to ensure that vendors sell them at a reasonable price, so that it can be accessible to all,” he said. – August 6, 2021.