Datuk John Lau
KUCHING (Sept 13): The State government has been asked to be transparent about its plans to address the record numbers of Covid-19 cases in Sarawak.
Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) Kota Sentosa representative Datuk Dr John Lau said members of the public want to know the government’s plans going forward.
“Having reached Covid-19 herd immunity is a piece of good news. But if only the government can tell us what their plans are to address the increasing number of persons infected with Covid-19,” he said in a statement.
“The residents are very eager to know what caused the increasing number of persons infected by Covid-19? Is there any research done besides the State Health director having said that it was due to a backlog?”
Lau asked if a backlog is to blame, are those who underwent rt-PCR tests moving about freely or being quarantined at home pending the results?
He also questioned the Ministry of Health’s strategy to reduce the number Covid-19 patients in intensive care units and those requiring intubation in Sarawak.
“What are the government’s expectations or targets for the next few days or weeks so that we can measure our progress against our target,” he said.
Lau also suggested the government widely implement the ‘Find, Test, Trace Isolate, and Support’ protocol used in Selangor over the past few months.
According to him, Kota Sentosa residents are also calling for more support, particularly for medical attention for Covid-19 patients under Category 1 and 2.
“As for home quarantine, does the person concerned have a separate room? Do they have separate washrooms? Do they have separate utensils for their meals? Has the Ministry of Health conducted research on how many of those under home quarantine are following strictly the standard operating procedures?” he asked.
Lau also asked whether a person about to be discharged from home quarantine would be required to undergo an rt-PCR test to determine their Cycle Threshold (CT) value.
“We have learned that some members of the public who have completed home quarantine, out of personal initiative and safety, they went for another PCR test in a private medical centre,” he said.
According to him, some of these individuals were given extra days of home quarantine after their CT value was tested to be between 29 and 31 and they were confirmed to still be positive.
“If the ministry did not conduct an rt-PCR test prior to home quarantine discharge, what happen if the person discharged is still positive and able to transmit Covid-19 to others?
“If they are allowed to move round freely, will coronavirus be freely transmitted to close contacts? This is a serious concern,” he added.