FOLK should not be paranoid and feel like they need to test daily and hoard Covid-19 self-test kits, the Malaysian Medical Association said.

Its president Dr Koh Kar Chai advised the public to only buy the needful number of self-test kits at any one time, while adding that daily tests are only required based on the nature of the job.

“A shortage of self-test kits will only occur when there is panic buying. There is ample supply of self-test kits in the market. The public is advised not to hoard the test kits and only buy the number that is needed.

“Do not be paranoid about the need to test yourself on a daily basis unless it is indicated due to the nature of your work. Even healthcare professionals do not test themselves daily unless it is clearly necessary in certain high risk situations.

“Circumstances needing self-testing will be when attending functions involving groups of people, visiting elderly or immunocompromised individuals, after coming into close contact with infected individuals or when exhibiting symptoms, to name a few,” he said in a statement today. 

Dr Koh said that due to the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, the number of cases will be high until we peak.

He said it will be prudent to comply with the prescribed standard operating procedure (SOP) at all times to ensure we do not add on to the numbers. 

He added that although the accuracy of the self-test kits may not be comparable (due to the sampling methods used) to the professional RTK-Antigen tests as well as the gold standard of RT-PCR tests, it is useful in picking up symptomatic cases, especially when cases are at an all-time high.

“Do consult your doctor for clarification or further tests if you are in any doubt about your status,” he said.

Malaysia yesterday recorded 32,800 new Covid-19 cases, taking the cumulative number of infections in the country to 3.78 million. – March 12, 2022.