Sin Chew Daily

The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Malaysia now makes up more than 2.56% of the country's total population, higher than the global average of 2.43%.

Following mass screening in Klang Valley, it is projected that we will breach the 1-million mark before August 10. While this projection is depressing, on the bright side, mass screening means we can quickly identify the infected individuals and apply stricter controls while accelerating the vaccination rate now well above 300,000 doses a day.

The health DG has said daily new infection numbers will begin to come down after two weeks, but this is only possible if the situation in Klang Valley is put under control.

The Selangor Sultan has expressed his disappointment with the staggering numbers of daily new infections in the state. In fact, the percentage of population infected with the virus in Selangor (4.36%), KL (5.02%) and Negeri Sembilan (4.61%) is far higher than the national average of 2.56%. If we assume that Selangor's 4.36% is the national average, then we will have 1.425 million people down with COVID-19 across this country!

There could be a few factors why the situation in Klang Valley is so serious. Firstly, the high population density of almost 1,000 people per sq km, or ten times the national average of 99.2 per sq km. Secondly, Klang Valley is highly industrialized with countless of operating factories. Failure to comply with the SOPs will spark an explosive growth in the number of new infections. Thirdly, most of the six million migrant workers in the country are in and around Klang Valley.

Given the tense situation in this country now, it is imperative that the government work closely with the private sector to conduct mass screening at workplaces with high concentrations of foreign workers. We can only slowly put things under control if we manage to identify the sources of infection. The situation in Klang Valley should serve as a stern warning to other states as well.

We can only talk about lifting the nationwide lockdown under phase 1 of the national recovery plan once we manage to mitigate the situation in Klang Valley, in order to move on to a more relaxed phase 2.

According to health DG Noor Hisham, with accelerated vaccination rate and mass screening of workers, we will only achieve moderate ICU utilization level fastest by the middle of next month, with daily new infections below 4k for some relaxation of rules under phase 2.

On the bright side, we should be able to control the propagation of first generation virus if we carry on with our vaccination program as scheduled. However, we must also watch out for the very much more infective new variants that could throw us back to the state of full nationwide lockdown with the slightest negligence on our part.

It has been 482 days since the first MCO was implemented, and the government and Malaysians alike have constantly learned from our own mistakes over this period of time. In the very beginning, people kept complaining about constant policy reversals on the part of the government, late delivery of vaccines, SOP violations by government leaders and the severely battered economy and livelihoods of the people, while the government put the blame on the rakyat for not adhering to the SOPs, roaming around town deliberately as well as the ignorance of anti-virus measures at workplaces and in the community.

More than 482 days now and if we still keep pointing finger at other people, we will never achieve anything in our fight against the powerful virus.

All Malaysians should come together to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and all other people who are living in this same country as us. We must treat everyone as our brothers, regardless of race and religion.

Last Saturday, a Malay man in his forties knocked at the car window of a Chinese lady, telling her he had been out of work for quite some time and needed some kindhearted people to buy lunch for his starving daughter. However, he insisted he would not accept any cash donation. The Malay man was very thankful for the help offered by the Chinese lady, but it was the "Satu Negara, Satu Darah" that came out from her mouth that moved him to tears!

No one would raise a white flag in front of his house unless he is forced to a corner. While an adult man can go without food or even die of starvation, what about the old people and the very young at home?

In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, at the bottom of the pyramid is the most basic psychological needs such as food and water. Only when the most basic needs are taken care of can we think about higher levels of needs such as safety, belongingness and love. As such, offering a hand to people raising a white flag and the government's distribution of some half a million food baskets are the most direct measures to take care of impoverished families.

We still have a very long way to go in fighting the virus. Let's hold out a hand and offer assistance to our fellow Malaysians who need our help in uplifting the "Satu Negara, Satu Darah" spirit.