Khairy has to address the problem of escalating daily new cases and record-high deaths in the midst of increasing vaccination rates

Khairy Jamaluddin, has started on the right note as the new Health Minister, promising to be transparent and to provide more detailed Covid-19 data to the public while addressing several pressing problems and initiatives to intensify the Covid-19 operations by allocating more vaccines, manpower and medical equipment to five states - Sabah, Johor, Kedah, Penang, and Kelantan – which are recording a rapid rise in daily Covid-19 cases.

However, there is one urgent problem which Khairy has omitted in his maiden media conference as Health Minister - the escalating daily new Covid-19 cases and record-high deaths in the midst of increasing vaccination rates.

Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 18,762 daily new Covid-19 cases and 278 Covid-19 deaths.

There are no signs of a falling trend in the escalating daily new Covid-19 cases and record-high deaths since June 15, when the National Recovery Plan was announced, when there were 5,419 daily new Covid-19 cases and 101 Covid-19 deaths, with the cumulative total of 667,976 Covid-19 cases and 4,069 Covid-19 deaths.

This would mean that since the announcement of the National Recovery Plan on June 15, 2021, Covid-19 cases had increased 2.64 times while Covid-19 deaths had increased 4.2 times.

Daily new Covid-19 cases passed the 20,000-mark on August 5.

Since then, there had been 18 days with daily new cases over 20,000 (reaching a peak of 24,599 on 26th August), six days from 19,000-20,000 and two days each from 18,000-19,000 and 17,000-18,000 cases.

Are new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia rising or falling?

Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths are on the very high side but we are unable to say whether they are now rising or falling.

In view of the incubation period for Covid-19 is thought to extend to 14 days, it is only fair to wait for 14 days before any judgment is made of Khairy’s takeover of the Health Ministry with the attendant new policy, strategy and approach in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are likely to overtake two other nations, Iraq and Netherlands, to be ranked No. 21 among nations with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases when we mark our 58th Malaysia Day on 16th September 2021.

We will pass the 17,000-mark for Covid-19 deaths today and will pass the 20,000-mark on our 58th Malaysia Day.

Will the end of the month see Malaysia on a trajectory of decline both for daily new Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths?

We will give Khairy one month for his first test as the new Health Minister.