KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — The community-level mass Covid-19 testing that is currently underway in Hulu Langat is done based on big data analytics that takes into account several factors other than the burden of cases and population density, said Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Dzulkefly, who heads the Selangor Task Force for Covid-19 (STFC), said the vulnerability of certain groups was another key factor.
“We are doing community-level testing based on some backend algorithms that STFC developed, beyond just the burden of cases and population density. We also take account of the vulnerability of susceptible groups and public settings where interaction will compromise social distancing and likely trigger human-to-human transmission.
“We hope to focus on the hotspot areas while taking account of other parameters,” he said to Malay Mail via text message.
In terms of determining Covid-19 hotspots and subsequently conducting mass testing, Dzulkefly added that STFC is mapping out areas that see huge increases in cases within the previous 14 days.
“[We] will try to map those localities that have seen huge increases over the last 14 days, for example, Lake Hill Selangor, Taman Dengkil Jaya, Taman Uda Jaya and Taman Puchong, among others,” he said.
The Covid-19 screening is a collaboration between the state government and private sector with the support of volunteers and coordinated by state government subsidiary, SELCARE Management Sdn Bhd.
In a statement last week, Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said between 400 and 500 targeted screening tests were carried out per day to allow more cases of infection to be identified.
Amiruddin also stated that the screening is done in accordance with strict procedures and regulations in addition to using personal protective equipment (PPE) and complying with social distancing rules.
When asked whether the number of daily screenings would be increased, Dzulkefly said the number would likely hover within the range of 400 to 500 tests daily due to the availability of personnel and strict compliance to set rules and regulations.
Dzulkefly stressed that the testing conducted by personnel in the field is done with full compliance with every step in sample taking.
