THE Covid-19 infectivity rate (Rt) or R-naught (R0) in the country can be reduced to below 0.5 in two to three weeks if everyone followed the infection-mitigation rules.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said after the conditional movement control order (CMCO) was enforced in Sabah, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, the current R0 rate has been successfully reduced to 1.0 from 2.0 recorded in the early stage of the third wave of Covid-19 infections, compared to the previous projection of 1.5.

“Only 649 cases were recorded yesterday and today we have 799 cases, but according to the (R0) 1.5 projection we were supposed to record 1,300 cases.

“It means that after two weeks of CMCO implementation, we have managed to flatten the curve which is less than 1.5. So far, for Malaysia we have reached (R0) 1.0,” he said at a daily press conference on the development of Covid-19, today.

As such, he said the Health Ministry would continue to enhance public health activities and screening in the community urging Malaysians, especially those in the four states placed under the CMCO to comply with the rules. – Bernama, October 30, 2020.