Appreciate our efforts instead of pointing fingers at shortcomings — Dr Annuar

0

SIBU: Sibu Division Disaster Management Committee (SDDMC) coordinator Dr Annuar Rapaee called on all people here to be more appreciative of the government’s efforts in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic instead of pointing fingers at its mistakes or shortcomings.

He admitted that there were mistakes and shortcomings but the government never ceased to think of ways to better handle the pandemic.

Dr Annuar delivering the live stream update yesterday.

He pointed out the Covid-19 pandemic is a multi-front war and the people have to work with the government to win as many battles as possible.

“There were people who said that we are experiencing shortages in health workers and beds in the hospital.

“Yes, we did experience shortage in the early stage of battle and shortage is everywhere whenever there is a crisis, but how do we handle shortage is the most important thing.

“We had meetings in Kuching with the health director and we changed our workflow, so that we can work without compromising the work quality,” he said during his daily Facebook live update on the Covid-19 situation in Sibu, yesterday.

He added that one of the government’s plans was to establish low-risk Covid-19 quarantine and treatment centres so as not to overburden the hospital.

He said currently 79.3 per cent of the beds for Covid-19 at the hospital are occupied while 79.2 per cent of the beds at
low-risk Covid-19 quarantine and treatment centre are occupied.

Out of 3,970 Covid-19 patients, 3,235 persons or 81.5 per cent  had recovered.

“All the government agencies are working together very closely, sending samples to Kuching in the middle of the night because we are in a crisis,” he said.

He also remembered that when he was instructed to contact certain people to turn their premises into quarantine centres last year, all turned him down except one.

“I do not want to resort to finger-pointing in our efforts to solve the problem that we are facing right now, because there is no point.

“We must work together to solve this problem that we are in right now.  Let the past be a lesson to all of us.  Although it was a bitter and hard lesson to learn, we have to move forward and think positively on this,” he said.

Meanwhile, on the Covid-19 cases in Sibu, he said only eight people were tested positive out of 1,207 samples collected from the two-day targeted Active Case Detection (ACD) for Tiong Hua Zone.

“This is equivalent to about 0.60 per cent, which is  excellent for Tiong Hua,” he said.

He said he had yet to receive information from the ACD at Permai and Bukit Lima Forest Reserve, but was satisfied with the good response from the people at both areas.

He believed Sibu is moving towards recovery as there were only 28 positive cases reported yesterday, but more needed to be done to ensure that Sibu could one day be Covid-19 free.

“We are on the right track, we must work harder and this is not the time to be complacent, to be happy about it. we are still far from it. we must continue to work together,” he said.

He urged people to continue to adhere to the standard operating procedure (SOP) and practise good personal hygiene at all times.