PETALING JAYA, July 12 (Sin Chew Daily) – Health experts are of the opinion that the current daily new infection numbers in Klang Valley may not completely reflect the actual situation and could have been underestimated.

They feel that the number of new infections could climb as more tests are being carried out in Klang Valley.

Over 10k cases a day

They believe it will take Selangor and Kuala Lumpur at least two weeks to two months to move on to the second phase of the national recovery plan.

When contacted by Sin Chew Daily, former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the COVID-19 situation in Klang Valley had been underestimated because of the high positivity rates of between 8% and 9%. He said the number of new cases would increase as more screening tests are carried out.

"I believe we can hit 10,000 new cases a day."

However, he believed the situation would improve from next month as more and more people get vaccinated and the R0 value is brought down.

Two weeks to two months

UPM public health expert (epidemiology and biostatistics) Associate Professor Dr Malina Osman said Selangor and Kuala Lumpur would need more time, probably two or even over four weeks, to see a marked decline in the number of new infections.

"It took 18 days for daily new infections to peak during the first MCO before the daily numbers went down.

"During MCO 2.0, we had to wait for 28 days.

"As for MCO 3.0, the numbers have not come down, especially in Klang Valley. That's why we have EMCO now."

As for when Selangor and Kuala Lumpur can move on to the second phase, Malina said this would depend on whether our hospitals could function normally or are flooded with new COVID-19 cases.

"I think we need stricter criteria in patient management especially in the early stages. This is to avoid excessive admissions. This can be achieved through active participation from all general practitioners and clinics, by approving the use of Ivermectin, and closer collaboration with other departments to support our hospitals."

Meanwhile, Public Health Specialist Association president Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said the number of new cases is expected to rise as the authorities step up targeted screening at communities and workplaces where new infection clusters have been identified.

He estimated that Selangor and Kuala Lumpur would only move on to the second phase of national recovery plan in one to two months' time.