COVID-19 Weekly Round-Up: Recovery Rate Up, MCO Tightened

By Melati Mohd Ariff This is a round-up of COVID-19 related matters in Malaysia and globally from April 13 up to 12.30 pm today. In Malaysia, case numbers have exceeded the 5,000 mark and globally, the virus has infected more than two million people and caused more than 145,000 deaths. More than 200 countries and territories are affected. KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama ) – For four days in a row this week, the number of recovered COVID-19 cases exceeded new cases with the highest daily number of patients discharged reported on Tuesday (202). Thursday 119 patients recovered, bringing the cumulative total of discharged cases to 2,766. The number of new cases reported yesterday was 110, bringing the cumulative total of COVID-19 positive cases in Malaysia to 5,182. On Wednesday, 169 patients were discharged against the 85 new cases reported. Wednesday’s two-digit new cases is the first in about a month since March 15 when Malaysia started recording three-digit hikes in daily new cases. On Monday, 168 patients were discharged against 134 new cases. As of yesterday, Malaysia has recorded 84 deaths, bringing the COVID-19 mortality rate to 1.62 percent of the total cases. Fifty-six patients are in the intensive care unit and 29 of them require ventilatory aid. According to Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, more than 60 percent of patients who succumbed to the disease were aged above 60. PHASE THREE CRITICAL The third phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO) from April 15-28 is a critical period as it will determine whether the government’s efforts to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission have been successful. The first phase of the MCO was from March 18-31 and second phase April 1-14. Beginning April 15, the police started taking more stringent action against MCO violators who will no longer be issued compounds. Instead, they will be hauled to court under Section 24 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342). Upon conviction, they face a fine or imprisonment of up to two years, or both. Second-time offenders face imprisonment of up to five years or a fine, or both. A total of 13 prison academies will serve as detention centres for MCO violators to avoid overcrowding at prisons. The government, meanwhile, has placed five areas under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO), the latest being Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur which covers Jalan Munshi Abdullah, Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Dang Wangi, Jalan Melaka and Jalan Ampang. The enhanced order was imposed after the Ministry of Health found a substantial hike in COVID-19 cases in the areas concerned. The other EMCO areas are Menara City One at Jalan Munshi Abdullah, Selangor Mansion and Malayan Mansion at Jalan Masjid India; Kluang, Johor; and Hulu Langat, Selangor. RED ZONES The number of areas designated as red zones now stands at 28. The latest additions to the red zone list are Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and Muar district in Johor. Selangor’s red zones are Hulu Langat, Petaling, Klang, Gombak, Sepang and Hulu Selangor, while Kuala Lumpur’s red zones are Lembah Pantai, Kepong, Titiwangsa and Cheras. Johor’s red zones are Kluang, Johor Bahru, Batu Pahat and Muar. Other red zones in Peninsular Malaysia are Putrajaya, Jasin, Melaka Tengah, Rembau, Seremban, Lower Perak, Kinta, Kuantan, Jerantut and Kota Bharu. Tawau and Kota Kinabalu are Sabah’s red zones, while Sarawak’s are Kuching and Kota Samarahan. WHO, IMF WARNINGS The World Health Organsation (WHO) has described the COVID-19 pandemic as 10 times more dangerous than Influenza A H1N1, better known as Swine Flu. The Swine Flu outbreak, which occurred between January 2009 and August 2010, affected more than 1.6 million people and caused 18,449 deaths. It was first detected in Mexico and later spread to the United States in March 2009. Speaking from Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the importance of producing a vaccine to curb the transmission of COVID-19. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), meanwhile, warned that the COVID-19 impact will cause the world economy to experience the worst downturn since the Great Depression of the1930s. In her speech titled "Confronting the Crisis: Priorities for the Global Economy” just before the IMF and World Bank Group Spring Meetings from April 17-19 (conducted virtually), IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said the global economy is expected to contract by three percent this year as quarantines and lockdowns cripple output. THE GLOBAL COVID-19 SITUATION According to statistics by CoronaTracker (which cites various agencies including WHO as its sources), the total COVID-19 cases globally, at the time of writing this article, stood at 2,182,823 and deaths 145,551. A total of 547,589 people have recovered from the disease. The United States has continued to record substantial hikes in new cases since the disease was detected on Jan 20. As of now, 678,144 cases have been reported and fatalities have climbed to 34,641. New York City, the US’ epicentre, alone accounted for more than 10,000 deaths. Spain: With 184,948 cases and 19,315 deaths, it has the second-highest number of cases in the world after the US. Italy: 168,941 cases and 22,170 deaths. France: 165,027 cases and 17,920 fatalities. China: 82,367 cases and 3,342 deaths. Some of Malaysia’s neighbours have also experienced a sharp rise in cases: Brunei 136 cases (one death); the Philippines 5,660 (362); Indonesia 5,516 (496); Cambodia 122 (0); Laos 19 (0); Myanmar 85 (four); Singapore 3,699 (10); Thailand 2,672 (46); and Vietnam 268 (0). Other countries that have reported a substantial number of cases include: Germany 137,698 cases (4,052 deaths); United Kingdom 103,093 (13,729); Iran 77,995 (4,869); Turkey 74,193 (1,643); Belgium 34,809 (4,857); Brazil 30,683 (1,947); Canada 30,106 (1,195); Holland 29,214 (3,315); Russia 27,938 (232); Switzerland 26,732 (1,281); Portugal 18,841 (629); Austria 14,476 (410); India 13,430 (448); Ireland 13,271 (486); and Israel 12,758 (142). COVID-19 BACKGROUND According to the WHO website, its China country office was informed of cases of pneumonia that were detected in Wuhan on Dec 31, 2019. On Jan 7, the Chinese authorities confirmed that the novel coronavirus can be transmitted from human to human. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-COV). A study of the virus’ genetic sequence suggested similarities to that seen in snakes and bats. China health officials identified the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan as the source of the transmission of the coronavirus. On Feb 11, WHO announced the official name of the virus, COVID-19, which is an acronym for coronavirus 2019 – CO stands for corona, VI for virus and D for disease. On Jan 30, WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global emergency. By then, it had spread to 18 countries and caused 170 deaths. On March 11, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by WHO. Translated by Rema Nambiar --BERNAMA