SERDANG: Covid-19 in Malaysia is under control and there is no need to panic about the red zone in Tuaran, Sabah, says Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa (pic).
“Overall, the number of cases in Sabah is actually fewer than 100 cases weekly.
“Most of the cases now are in the low-risk Category 1 and 2,” she told reporters at the ministry’s Hari Raya open house here on Wednesday (May 17).
She said case management in the district still followed parameters no longer in use by the ministry.
“In Tuaran, the Health Department is still using outdated criteria (for classification of outbreak zones) which the ministry is not using any more,” she said.
The Tuaran district, about 40km from Kota Kinabalu, was classified as a red zone after recording a spike in cases last week.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam said the district recorded 26 new cases for the week May 7 to 13, compared to 18 the week before.
On the heat wave, Dr Zaliha said the ministry has been monitoring the situation with other government agencies and advised the public to seek treatment quickly if they experience any symptoms of heatstroke.
“Visit the hospital if you have severe symptoms such as dehydration, muscle cramps and fatigue,” she added.
She also said the ministry is constantly working with other agencies including the National Disaster Management Agency to draft guidelines on dealing with heatstroke.
On Tuesday (May 16), she revealed that the ministry recorded 15 cases related to the hot weather, with the death toll remaining at one.
Also present at the open house were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang and Health director-general Dr Radzi Abu Hassan. – The Star