by S BIRRUNTHA/ pic by BERNAMA

MALAYSIA recorded zero local Covid-19 cases yesterday for the first time since March, said Health DG Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He announced that there was a single infection yesterday, an imported case involving a Malaysian returning from Turkey who has no symptoms of Covid-19.

“This is a historic moment. There were no local transmissions among the community for the first time since March,” he told the reporters in his Covid-19 press conference in Putrajaya.

Dr Noor Hisham said the achievement of zero local transmission yesterday is the result of the great cooperation among every level of the community.

“These include adopting new habits in their daily life and adherence to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) that play a role in the government’s implementation.

“The decline in daily cases that we are witnessing lately also reflects people’s awareness in terms of self-discipline, as well as the importance of social distancing,” he added.

He also encouraged Malaysians to continue practising social distancing and taking preventive measures, especially when schools are about to reopen in the country.

He added that the Ministry of Health (MoH) will continue monitoring the trend of cases, increasing the level of testing if needed when all the sectors are fully operational in the country.

The increase in the one new case yesterday brought the country’s overall total to 8,640.

There are now only 144 active Covid-19 cases (at press time) left being treated at health facilities nationwide.

Among the active cases yesterday, four were placed in the intensive care unit, with two of them requiring respiratory aid. Similarly, 21 patients recovered yesterday, increasing the recovered cases percentage to 96.9%, which equaled to 8,375 as of yesterday.

No new deaths were recorded and the country’s death tally remained at 121.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said over 60% of infectious diseases could be reduced with Covid-19 prevention SOP such as social distancing and hygiene practices.

He said this when asked about the discovery of the G4 swine flu virus from the H1N1 genome that could become a pandemic in China.

“The Department of Veterinary Services will release a statement, but what is certain is that if we take preventive measures and practise the necessary SOPs, we can resolve the contagious disease.

“So far, despite our actions for Covid-19, infectious diseases such as measles, nails and mouth, chicken pox in the country have been around 60%,” he said.

He also added that increasing border control and the practice of maintaining hygiene can break the chain of any infectious diseases.

According to reports, the G4 swine flu is a highly contagious virus, mimicking human cells and causing serious symptoms to humans compared to other viruses.

The virus emerged recently and is carried by pigs, but can potentially spread easily from person to person, and trigger a global outbreak.