PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry is keeping a watch on the possibility of a hike in Covid-19 cases over the next two to three months.
Its director-general, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, said this was because the possibility of people getting infected with H1N1 (common flu) and Covid-19 became higher during the winter season.
Dr Noor Hisham said this was not only a concern for the ministry, but also one shared by the World Health Organisation and European Union countries.
"They are expecting the number of cases to increase sharply, especially during the winter season, where there could an increase in cases of the common flu or common cold.
"If this year we see flu and Covid-19 infections together, then there could be a higher impact (health-wise) on patients," he said after launching the 7th Malaysia Breast Nurse Care Meeting at the National Cancer Institute here.
He said there were signs of spikes in other countries even before winter, such as India, while the United Kingdom expected to record up to 50,000 cases within 24 hours.
Malaysia yesterday breached the 1,000th mark in active Covid-19 cases, as its three-digit streak continued with 115 cases, with the majority made up of local transmissions.
Of the total, 112 cases were local transmission involving 98 Malay-sians and 14 foreigners.
Dr Noor Hisham said three of the 115 new cases were imported from India, involving a local in Negri Sembilan and two foreigners in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
"Sabah recorded the highest local cases at 98, involving 46 locals from the Bangau-Bangau cluster. For the Benteng Lahad Datu cluster, 39 cases were recorded involving 25 locals and 14 foreigners.
"Also found were eight new cases during symptomatic screenings, two positive cases from the Pulau cluster, one from the Buang Sayang cluster, one involving a medical officer during a screening and a close contact of Case 11,022."
In Selangor, 10 cases were recorded, six of which involved locals from the new Jalan Apas cluster.
"Four cases were recorded from the screening test done on locals who had just arrived from a Covid-19 high-risk area in Sabah."
The death toll remained at 134.
Dr Noor Hisham said there were between 350 and 400 health personnel stationed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2.
He was at the airports with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba early yesterday to monitor Sabah returnees' long wait for screening since the night before.
He said the screening of each passenger, including the swab test, took up to 15 minutes
and could go up to two hours for each flight that arrived at the airports.
He added that the waiting time could be longer if multiple flights from Sabah landed at the same time.
"Some of our staff even did a double shift, up to 16 hours, and went without eating. We are looking at how we can support our people there."
He said the next two weeks would show if there was a significant increase in cases related to those returning from Sabah. If there was, then screenings would be intensified, he added.
The results of the swab test will be known between 24 and 32 hours later and will be monitored through the ministry's Public Health Information System.
The system will categorise the cases based on backgrounds, including the districts the passengers have been to when they were in Sabah.
"If the result is positive, they will be taken straight to hospital.
"If it is negative, but they have been exposed to positive cases, then they will be isolated and quarantined.
"For those who neither tested positive nor were exposed to positive cases, they will be exempted from mandatory quarantine
but we will advise them to self-quarantine for the remaining period."
Meanwhile, he said TEMCO was already in place in Sabah, although its implementation was never officially announced.
He said TEMCO-like measures were enforced in the state, such as tight border controls, 98 roadblocks and public health activities.