Photo shows medical personnel carrying out swab tests in SIbu.
KUCHING (May 31): Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii has claimed the state government has been severely under-testing for Covid-19 cases.
In a statement today, he claimed this has led the average positive rate in Sarawak to be more than double the World Health Organization’s advisory rate of 5 per cent — 14.5 per cent from May 16-22 and 11.9 per cent from May 25-30.
Yii proposed the Sarawak government hold mass Covid-19 testing in each constituency to detect silent carriers in collaboration with the relevant members of parliament and state assembly persons to complement the Ministry of Health’s current testing.
“With the initial data collected, we can be more targeted to do door-to-door screenings which will focus on localities that register a high number of cases based on data gathered through the ongoing mass community testing,” he said.
Yii said the state government must take advantage of the current Movement Control Order (MCO) to ramp up both region-wide Covid-19 testing and vaccination to achieve the desired results against the pandemic.
“These make sure not only the MCO achieves its intended target but also will be the last one implemented with a clear exit strategy ahead to help the economy transition back to some normalcy in a safe and secure environment,” he said.
According to Yii, not focusing on testing and vaccination would be poor use of the current MCO at a heavy cost to the economy.
He said identifying the silent carriers would enable the government to isolate and quarantine them to prevent further transmission into the wider community.
“It is important to remember that what MCO does is to give temporary relief to the overburdened healthcare system but does not solve the problem.
“Lockdowns are temporary cures and do not work unless the underlying problems which cause the spread of the virus are addressed,” he said.
Without mass testing and vaccination, Yii claimed the state might see a decrease of new cases during the MCO but witness another surge in new cases once strict movement restrictions are lifted.
Yii said the state must also increase the current Covid-19 vaccination rate as the average rate between May 23 and 29 was only 6,490 vaccinations daily.
“While I fully welcome the announcement that Sarawak plans to reach daily target of no less than 45,000 vaccinations daily, but much needs to be done from now onwards for us to achieve such a target,” he said.
Yii said the government must improve the MySejahtera appointment system and open more small- and medium-scale vaccination centres (PPV) in different zones of each constituency to prevent congestion and the risk of Covid-19 spreading in the centres themselves.
“More private hospital and general practitioners (GPs) must be roped into helping with the vaccination with a more simplified appointment system for the convenience of the public,” he said.
He called for mobile vaccination teams to be deployed in not just rural areas but also in urban centres to reach out to the elderly, bedridden, people with disabilities, and those yet to register for vaccination.
“So instead of expecting them to come (for vaccination), we should bring the vaccine to them,” he said.
Yii said the government must also allocate more funds to hire non-medical part-time workers and volunteers from various industries impacted by the pandemic, such as tourism and events management, to help out with mass testing and vaccination.
“This will help provide temporary job opportunities even for young graduates who are finding it difficult to get a job,” he added.