James Masing
KUCHING (Sept 14): Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing has appealed to the media not to sensationalise the number of daily Covid-19 cases but highlight more on the percentage of severe cases.
The number of daily Covid-19 positive cases for Sarawak had caused panic among some members of the public, said the Minister of Infrastructure and Ports Development in a press statement yesterday.
“Because of our fixed mindset on the dangers of Covid-19 positive cases, we must teach the media to understand the health data provided and to interpret them in manners that will not cause panic among people on the ground,” said Masing, who is Baleh assemblyman.
“What should be highlighted is the percentage of Covid-19 positive cases that is life threatening and what percentage is just like common cold,” he pointed out.
“News media and news portals must not sensationalise the figures provided by SDMC (Sarawak Disaster Management Committee) just for better sales. To me, that is irresponsible journalism,” Masing said.
Sarawak yesterday recorded 3,522 positive cases and accumulatively has registered a total of 160,320 cases since the outbreak began in March last year.
The state has been registering the highest number of daily positive cases nationwide at more than 3,000 for the last eight days. On Sunday, the figure hit an all-time high of 5,291 cases.
However, the number of severe cases that require hospitalisation recorded daily in the last eight days has either been less than one per cent or just a handful.
On a related matter, Masing said that Covid-19 virus will be part of people’s lives in the next few years.
“It will eventually evolve to become a health endemic, like the common cold and flu.
“However, there will be local clusters of Covid-19 sprouting at the various regions, at any one time, in Malaysia,” he added.
“When this occurs, we would have to try to contain the Covid-19 clusters, regionally or locally, and not as a national pandemic with total lockdown.
“This will necessitate the government to open up our industries, sector by sector, with stringent SOPs as advised by the medical experts,” he said, adding his comment was in tandem with SDMC advisor Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian’s suggestions on how to live with the coronavirus.
“The spiking of Covid-19 positive cases, I am sure, will continue, as with the common cold and flu in our society, as in the old days. Periodical boosters of vaccines for Covid-19 may be required as we did with influenza shots in the past,” Masing said.