War against COVID-19 may continue until 2021 - Health DG

The war against COVID-19 may continue long after the Movement Control Order (MCO) has ended and may well be stretched until next year, said Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

In a daily press conference here today, he said the extension of the fight against COVID-19 was in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

While the daily record of the new COVID-19 cases in the country showed impressive numbers, he said the Ministry of Health was working to develop the best exit strategy for the community when the MCO came to an end.

“The problem now is how we plan our strategy until next year. Now we are able reduce the cases but we can't end the case. It may be in clusters or isolated cases such as sporadic cases.

“Today, in addition to implementing the proposed antibodies, we are also monitoring the case of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) and symptoms of diseases such as Influenza (ILI) in the community.

"If it increases, it means, the virus is still present in the community. But now that it is decreasing, it is a good indication for us to implement or plan future actions," he added.

Dr Noor Hisham said as long as the anti-COVID-19 vaccine was still not available, his ministry would not take things for granted.

He said the ministry advised the community to continue to adopt new norms such as coming out of the house only when absolutely necessary, refrain from attending any gatherings, practise social distancing and regularly wash hands and other hygiene practices.