Covid-19: Ministry to announce endemic transition status next week

PUTRAJAYA - The Health Ministry will announce the transition status of Covid-19 endemic phase as soon as it has presented recommendations and new standard operating procedures (SOP) to the Cabinet next week.

Its minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said that the new SOP takes into account several assessments including the number of Covid-19 cases, recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the current state of Covid-19 internationally.

"After that, we shall announce it (the transition)," she said after the Health Ministry Monthly Assembly, today.

Previously, the Health Ministry extended the local areas of infection status that ended on Dec 31 last year to June 30 this year.

The extension was to facilitate activities to prevent and control of the spread of Covid-19 infection.

On Wednesday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced that the country had officially ended the Covid-19 pandemic in response to a WHO’s statement which had declared the end of the public health emergency against the virus.

Covid-19 was no longer categorised as a global health emergency by WHO starting May 5.

It was a big step towards ending the pandemic that had killed more than 6.9 million people as well as threatened the global economy and community.

Malaysia recorded the first positive Covid-19 case on Jan 25, 2020 which involved three Chinese citizens who entered the country from Singapore while the first case to involve local citizens was reported on Feb 4 the same year.

As of June 17, a total of 5,112,019 positive Covid-19 cases including imported ones were reported across the country involving 37,118 deaths.

In regards to the health SOP ahead of the state election, Zaliha said that it would depend on the announcement of the endemic transition status.

"It depends on the new SOP later, InsyaAllah, we will wait (for the announcement)," she said.

In the same update, 42 cluster hospitals had been formed, involving 146 out of 149 hospitals across the country.

She said that with a decade of implementation of the cluster hospital initiative, the waiting time for receiving treatment services had been improved and savings through bulk purchases will be possible.