This back-to-basics public health management of a pandemic, endorsed by 46 experts in their respective fields, was sent to the Malaysian Prime Minister on January 7. They are:
- To ramp up testing with triaged, mass and frequent testing regimen, utilising inexpensive rapid testing kits (RTK-Ag), instead of PCR, to help slow the transmission of Covid-19.
- Early RTK-Ag diagnosis of cases within 24 hours will enable rapid isolation of cases and facilitate prompt contact tracing.
- Automating contact tracing with digital apps will hasten the tracking process, while leveraging on data science and machine learning can identify the hotspots in the nation for targeted screening. Only this find-test-trace-isolate rapid response will bust the Covid-19 clusters and mitigate the sporadic spread of the virus.
- In anticipation of the increasing Covid-19 cases and to protect the healthcare capacity, we advocate that clinical stage 1 and 2 cases be isolated at home with clear guidelines from the health ministry. Their well-being can be tracked daily with digital apps supported by empowering the local community, and urgent transfers to Covid-19 hospitals organised for cases that deteriorate.
- We must protect the excellent work of our medical professionals in the Covid-19 hospitals by decanting all non-Covid cases to non-Covid government and private hospitals. This will allow them to focus on the most severe cases and not be distracted by asymptomatic and mild cases, thus ensuring the best outcomes.
- The POIS initiative (Preventing and early detection of Outbreaks at Ignition Sites) is a tripartite government, private sector and NGO partnership which emphasises early detection testing regime, enhances public health measures and health education of industry and migrant workers. This POIS initiative developed in consultation with industry and WHO can be replicated elsewhere as a public health operational tool, truly embracing a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.
- Similar initiatives must be developed for the other hotspots of Covid-19 outbreaks, namely the prison and detention centres.
- Expedite the regulatory processes so that immunisation can begin as soon as the first doses of vaccines arrive at the airport. Debunking Covid-19 and vaccine disinformation will empower our rakyat with informed consent when the vaccines arrive. Apart from prioritising the high-risk groups, seriously consider vaccinating migrant workers to protect our industries and the refugee community who are silent epicentres of Covid-19 outbreaks. The cost of the vaccines must be capped at less than RM100 per dose for those getting their shots privately and by extension, the rapid test kits must be capped at less than RM100 per test to ensure more affordable and wider coverage as well as uptake of both vaccines and rapid testing.
- A Covid-19 task force comprising a cross-sectoral and empowered team of subject matter experts must be immediately formed to provide evidence-based advice on a harmonised whole-of-government response across ministries and agencies. The task force will help steer the nation out of this pandemic by regularly presenting its recommendations and audit of the health economic impact of key decisions to the Cabinet. To ensure independence of the task force, the Malaysian Medical Association, Academy of Medicine Malaysia, Malaysian Public Health Physicians’ Association and Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia are best positioned to select the members.
- Do not politicise the pandemic but instead secure a bipartisan consensus and approach to flatten the pandemic curve, accelerate efforts to achieve herd immunity as a form of community protection to coexist with the virus. GE15 in the midst of an uncontained pandemic is an unmitigated disaster waiting to happen as the Sabah election has exemplified.
Read here (Free Malaysia Today, Jan 7, 2021)
Open letter to PM: 10 critical actions to manage Covid-19 — Health experts
Read here (Code Blue, Jan 7, 2021)
