Measures to curb COVID-19 based on risk assessment, not just zone colour

PUTRAJAYA:The proactive measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic including the enforcement of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) were not only based on the colour code of a zone, but also the risk assessment conducted Ministry of Health (MOH) experts.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the risk assessment carried out looked at infectivity rate, logistics, MOH capacity and various other factors.

Taking the example of the state of Selangor, he said, CMCO was implemented before six districts in the state were declared as red zones due to the government's concern over the density and movement in highly populated areas.

"Not too long ago I had announced R0 (the infectivity rate or R-naught) in Selangor was 1.98, higher than in Sabah. That was our concern.

"So we carried out pre-emptive measures through risk assessment in Selangor where cases were expected to increase. Then we implemented CMCO before the districts in Selangor became red zones," he told the daily media conference on the update on COVID-19, here, today.

Dr Noor Hisham said this when asked about the statement of an epidemiologist that the government should use better indicators in determining the category of zones for a COVID-19 infection area and not just based on the number of cases in the location.

He said the use of colour codes was also to facilitate the public's understanding with the division made according to the number of cases, namely green (no cases), yellow (one to 20 cases), orange (21 to 40 cases) and red (40 and above).

Risk assessment will be made when a mukim or sub-district records between 10 to 20 cases.

"For example, the sub-districts of Parit Buntar, Perak, Rasau in Dungun, Terengganu and Jimah in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan which were declared as CMCO areas even though they have not yet become red zones," he said.

On the prediction of positive COVID-19 cases increasing to 6,000 within a week, Dr Noor Hisham said MOH's preparedness for the third wave was higher than during the second wave last March.

"We look at the capacity of hospitals and MOH facilities. We also learn from Sabah in terms of logistics and laboratories," he said, adding that proactive actions have been taken including in terms of human resources.

-- BERNAMA