PUTRAJAYA: The number of Covid-19 cases hit its peak on Jan 31 with 5,298 infections and is expected to be on a downward trend from now and to stabilise soon, said the health ministry today.
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In a press conference, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah added that the dip in cases was due to the current movement control order (MCO 2.0), which came into effect on Jan 13, and targeted the numbers to be in double digits by May, a far cry from the 8,000+ predicted before MCO 2.0.
He said the numbers increased in the first two weeks the MCO started but the cases are expected to decrease.
“We also see a drop in the R-naught (R0) in Sabah to 0.81 and Kelantan to 0.77.
“Most of the cases from Kelantan are due to cross-border infections and the state has recorded 31 clusters with 96% involving Malaysians,” he said.
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He also said the R0 is expected to fall to 0.5, with Covid-19 numbers expected to fall to two digits by mid or end of May.
However, he asked the public to follow strict procedures during the Chinese New Year period to ensure the numbers remain low.
In January, the health ministry had warned that daily Covid-19 cases could hit 8,000 by mid-March if the infection rate (R0) increases to 1.2.
An R0 of below 1.0 is necessary to prevent the spread of Covid-19.-FMT