MOH launches new COVID-19 data website

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said following the launch of the new website, the latest daily data on the development of COVID-19 nationwide would be available at COVIDNOW after 12 pm.

"This website will display key data that is easier to understand and accessible to the general public," he said in a press conference at the MOH here today.

Khairy also hoped that with the data and information shared on COVIDNOW and GitHub, the public will have a better understanding and awareness of the COVID-19 infection situation in the country.

He said that with the MOH's new approach in sharing the COVID-19 data, the data released through the Health director-general's daily press statement in the late afternoon, which had been the practice since the pandemic began, would only continue for another week.

He said previously the MOH had uploaded granular data including vaccination data into GitHub where the data entered was improved from time to time.

According to him, apart from data sharing, efforts to make behavioural change and practising the standard operating procedures (SOPs) need to be enhanced, to enter a new phase of living with the COVID-19 virus.

Commenting on the current situation of COVID-19 infection in the country, Khairy said in general, a slight decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases could be seen while the average infectivity rate (Rt) value is now below 1.0, at 0.97.

He said some states had shown improved infection rates, such as the states in the Klang Valley, Negeri Sembilan, the Federal Territory of Labuan and Melaka, but other states still reported a flat and less stable trend such as Perak, Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Johor and Sabah.

He added that several states were found to show an increase in cases such as Sarawak and Terengganu, and appropriate action had been taken for states that needed more attention so that appropriate assistance could be given.