JULY 29 — After the gathering yesterday, which many top healthcare officials have agreed was a severe breach of the SOPs, there is a chance that we might have triggered another potential spread of the Covid-19 virus.

Many present, even some notable figures, were not masked and not practising the basic preventive measures like social distancing. Unfortunately, that was the perfect recipe for a potential spread — similar to the unfortunate spread in February/March named the Sri Petaling cluster.

At this point, we are now looking at damage control — it is best that everyone applies these three steps that will help with another wildfire spread:

1. Stay indoors and work from home as much as it is to their liberty.

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2. Practice all preventive measures stringently — face mask the moment you step out of your residence (even if it is to throw your garbage bag out), disinfect materials, strict hand-hygiene at all times with soap&water + alcohol scrubbing and social distancing

3. Forget about interstate travel over the next few days. Be a team player for Malaysia and stay indoors.

With many companies racing against the clock to discover a potential vaccine that will get us out of this rut, there must be a special task force now to start educating the public (in all languages — Malay, English, Simplified Chinese, Tamil and other common foreign languages) on the importance of vaccination.

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This will save time and be of importance especially when this much awaited vaccine is marketed for use. It is of no use if the ministry and government go all out to obtain and fund the vaccine but people refuse to take it.

From a personally done calculation during the MCO, we will need approximately 94 per cent of the public (please note I said public- which includes foreigners) to be vaccinated so that the other 6 per cent (who cannot be vaccinated due to health reasons) can benefit from herd immunity.

We must now include the combat against the virus with a special focus on those people who refute vaccinations (for one reason or another). We must reach out to them and educate them that the control of this pandemic is highly dependent on them once the vaccine is available. There is no point of having a vaccine to eradicate the virus if there is poor compliance to it.

This will require the understanding and support of everyone in Malaysia. I hope that a package for all is considered — please include the foreigners in this programme as they are as much part of our society as Malaysians. We need to curb this on a wholistic approach. Salam Hari Raya everyone.

You’re your family and Malaysia at the same time — stay at home and practics all preventive measures.

* Dr Arvinder Singh HS is medical research officer

** This is the personal opinion of the writer(s) or organisation(s) and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.