Dr Kelvin Yii
KUCHING (Aug 23): Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii is calling for decentralisation of the Covid-19 One-Stop Centre and (COSC) Covid-19 Assessment Centre (CAC) at the Dewan Masyarakat MBKS here to ease traffic congestion.
He made this call today in light of the surge in infections especially here, pointing out that there will be more people needing close contact screening, which will continue to cause long queue in the area.
“There are of course concerns that such area will increase risk of possible outbreak due to congestion especially if standard operating procedures (SOP) are poorly adhered to,” he said in a statement after a visit to the COSC here.
Dr Yii said there is a need to increase the number of Covid-19 swab test centres in the city to spread out the congestion in the vicinity of the Dewan Masyarakat MBKS.
He said having more swab test centres will reduce not just the waiting time but the risk of possible outbreak.
Even with such congestion, he asserted that there is still a strong need to test more especially in Sarawak.
“Yesterday, Sarawak recorded a total cases of 1,772, but the positive rate is at a staggering 34 per cent. That is about seven times the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended rate of below five per cent.
“Maybe, State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) should report testing numbers by district especially for Kuching for us to get a clearer picture of positive rate by district and sub-district,” he said.
According to Dr Yii, public health experts have pushed for the incorporation of RTK Ag into screening process to reduce reliance on Rt-PCR which takes longer time and much more lab-resources.
Since the majority of those coming in are asymptomatic, he said saliva RTK Ag can be used to do quick screening and quick isolation whether in low-risk quarantine centres (PKRC) or even proper home-quarantine for those that are able to home quarantine.
“They then can be monitored for symptoms and disease progression virtually by roping in the general practitioners (GPs) even from the private sector.
“For those who are unable to isolate in their home, better quarantine facilities should be made available by the relevant agencies to prevent the spread and spillover of the infection into the larger community,” he proposed.
In order to deal with the surge in breakthrough cases, Dr Yii said there has to be a clear combination of RTK Antigen tests for rapid screening and Rt-PCR, and this helps with streamlining of manpower.
According to him, the slow, piecemeal and reactive responses of the authorities in their testing protocols have only fostered the sporadic spread of the virus and enhanced the proliferation of the variants of concern especially the Delta variant
He said this had led to an explosion of new daily cases of Covid-19, overwhelming the state’s hospital facilities and quarantine centres especially here.
“On top of that, both the federal and state government should bulk purchase and bring in stocks of these saliva self-test kits. Then they should also subsidise it to make it affordable and ensure enough supplies in the market.
“The government has been too slow to decide on and make self-testing and a new normal and incentivise self-reporting to prepare all of us to live with Covid-19 as an endemic,” he added.
Dr Yii said the government must be proactive to adjust the approach and measure against Covid-19 in view of its changing dynamics if not the state can never get ahead of the virus and will continue to play catch up.
He advised those going to swab at the Dewan Masyarakat MBKS to take all precautions, comply with the SOP and be prepared for the long queue.
He believed that the frontliners have been doing their best to help the situation.
“They deserve our utmost appreciation and respect. But there is a need for a change in policy to help and protect them and also the public.
“I still strongly believe in ‘decentralisation’ to multiple testing centres, like vaccination centres (PPVs) rather than having one centralised centre,” added Dr Yii.