Don’t lower your guard, say experts

PETALING JAYA: People must practise self-discipline and observe the standard operating procedure (SOP) at the workplace when the strict home surveillance order (HSO) is discontinued on July 15, say health experts.

Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz said current measures against Covid-19 are sufficient, with Malaysia having a high rate of vaccination and as such, there is no need for the strict HSO or quarantine procedure.

“The management of severe Covid-19 cases has improved significantly, with the World Health Organisation also declaring that the pandemic is no longer a public health emergency or global threat.

“We have had three years of experience with the pandemic and we should all be experts on preventing Covid-19 by now,” she said when contacted yesterday.

Dr Azizan said the way forward for everyone is to use the knowledge learnt from the pandemic since it first struck in 2020.

She added that existing safety measures could still be adopted by both employers and workers.

“Do a self test and wear a mask if you are experiencing Covid-19 symptoms.

“This includes implementing self-isolation until the symptoms subside,” she said.

However, Dr Azizan cautioned that Covid-19 can still cause severe symptoms in older persons and those with co-morbidities.

“Wear a mask when visiting a healthcare facility or nursing home,” she added.

On Friday, the Health Ministry announced the discontinuation of the HSO for those with Covid-19 from July 15.

It also said that those who test positive will no longer be required to report their Covid-19 self-test results to the MySejahtera app.

The number of infections dropped by 77.9% to 3,810 last week compared with 17,256 in the first week of the year, with no new variants detected in the country.

ALSO READ: Remember, Covid-19 is still around

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia community health expert Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said dealing with Covid-19 cases at the workplace will depend on whether employees had previously contracted Covid-19 but had received prior vaccinations.“The employee can continue to work without quarantine.

“But if the worker has not been vaccinated for some reason and has been found positive with symptoms, there is possibility that he or she can infect others.

“If the other workers around him have been vaccinated, then the infected person only needs to rest,” she said.

Prof Sharifa Ezat said employers should maintain certain precautionary measures for workers who are ill.

“If someone is sick and not sure of their Covid-19 status or they may be infected with some other virus, it is good to continue wearing a face mask.

“The employee should also get some rest at home for any upper respiratory tract infection,” she added.

Prof Sharifa Ezat said the best protection after July 15 would be for a person to get vaccination booster shots.

Public health physician Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said Covid-19 should now be treated like any other infectious disease such as influenza, with both employers and employees having a responsibility to play their part to prevent its spread.

“Employers should ask their workers to get tested and treated.

“It also advisable to see a physician and get a medical certificate (MC) to rest at home to prevent the infection from spreading to others,” he said.

He added that employers should also continue with precautions such as wearing a mask, maintaining hygiene and practising physical distancing if necessary.

Universiti Malaya epidemiology and public health expert Prof Dr Sanjay Rampal said the lifting of the HSO can be implemented without the need for any additional SOP at the workplace.

“Our population has mostly been vaccinated.

“The risk of complications is low for the current circulating variants,” he added.

However, Prof Sanjay said surveillance should continue.

“Employees who feel unwell must see a doctor and based on the diagnosis, get an MC to stay home and rest,” he added.