By Olivia Miwil - July 30, 2021 @ 10:53pm
KOTA KINABALU: Lockdown will not be the solution to address the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in Sabah.
The state today recorded the highest daily cases this year at 1,066 from almost a week of more than 700 cases per day.
Sabah Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said restricting people's movement would not be the only way out from the situation and it was no longer effective in containing the infection.
He said the Covid-19 virus had been spreading in the community and the mass screening by the state Health Department had proven the assumption.
"Close contacts now have become the biggest contribution to daily cases, with 60 per cent today. These close contacts are among a circle of friends which might also have infected their other friends.
"This led to doubling the daily cases number due to the multiplier effect," he said in a statement.
He added that pandemic fatigue had led to the non-compliance of SOP.
Masidi, who is also state finance minister II, pointed out that further lockdown or continuous Enhanced Movement Control Order had nearly crippled the state economy.
Apart from affecting companies and people losing jobs, he said the government's resources would be limited to continue giving assistance and subsidies.
He said achieving herd immunity and enforcing SOP would be more effective in terms of bringing down daily cases.
"This approach has been proven. Ample vaccine supply and uninterrupted delivery is also necessary (to contain the infections).
"The capacity for the Health Department to administer vaccines has reached 50,000 doses per day and will be increased to 60,000 based on the availability of stocks," he said, adding that vaccination reduces the incidence of severity and mortality rate among those infected by Covid-19.
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