As MCO.2 has failed to bring down the third wave Covid-19 pandemic surge – its time for “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” strategy in the war against Covid-19 pandemic to restore public trust and confidence and a Special Parliament on Covid-19 pandemic

The partial and later full imposition of movement control order (MCO.2) from January 13-26 has failed to bring down the third wave Covid-19 pandemic surge.

We are the only country in Asia, excluding Indonesia, which is facing a long and serious upsurge of Covid-19 pandemic exceeding four months.

Three weeks ago, Japan declared a state of emergency in the greater Tokyo area after a record number of coronavirus case were reported in the Japanese capital an across the country. From a record-high daily increase of 7,855 Covid-19 cases on January 9, the daily increase has been on a downward slide down to 3,537 daily cases yesterday.

In early December, South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered the mobilisation of police, military personnel and public medical doctors to support contact tracing and keep track of infections when South Korea faced a critical upsurge of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The daily increase have fallen from the record-high of 1,237 Covid-19 cases on Dec. 25 to 554 cases yesterday.

In Malaysia, despite the re-imposition of MCO.2 on January 13, we have had 14 days of daily increase of Covid-19 cases exceeding the 3,000 mark after over four months of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The daily average of increase of Covid-19 cases in the first 12 days of the was 2,376 cases.

We have yet to see light at the end of the tunnel.

More than three months ago, we were No. 85 among countries with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, but we have jumped 29 positions and we are now ranked No 56, and will be ranked No. 55 if our daily increase of Covid-19 infections exceed 3,000 cases today.

The US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has predicted a continuous rise of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia, hitting over 20,000 daily infections from March 3.

According to IHME’s projections, Malaysia will register 20,035 new Covid-19 infections on March 3, increasing to a peak of 20,361 cases on March 13.

Following that, the US-based model projected a decline in the number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia, up to 14,149 new cases on May 1.

We must prove the IHME projections wrong.

But it is time for a new strategy in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

It is time for “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” strategy in the war against Covid-19 pandemic to restore public trust and confidence in the strategy and a Special Parliament on Covid-19 pandemic.