The Malaysian Insight

SIX potential “super-spreaders” were detected among the Covid-19 cases that broke out in Parliament, said Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said this prompted the Health Ministry to propose that all meetings be postponed for two weeks starting July 29.

The health director-general said the six cases had a high infectivity rate with a low threshold cycle.

He said the cases were also symptomatic with a risk of spreading, and have the potential, collectively, to turn into a super-spreader.

Noor Hisham said the infection could spread from two days before the onset of symptoms and go on until the seventh day.

People in the vicinity could be potentially exposed to the virus.

“(The) majority of those attending the Special Parliament Sitting are also senior citizens, and have the possibility of being comorbid, which increases the risk of infection,” he said in a statement.

“Not all individuals who attended Parliament are fully vaccinated,” he noted.

He said two of the 11 cases recently detected were fully vaccinated.

Noor Hisham said nine more cases were detected during the pre-sitting screening for the Dewan Negara on July 30, which was to meet on Tuesday but had been postponed.

Meanwhile, 60 positive cases, including four among close contacts were detected during the pre-sitting screening for the Dewan Rakyat, which involved 2,093 individuals. All of these cases had not attended Parliament since day one of the special sitting, which began on July 26.

“Taking into account the fact that the sitting involves a mass gathering from all over the country, and the high risk of the spread of Covid-19, especially with high-risk variants like Delta spreading in the community, and the deteriorating number of Covid-19 cases, the Health Ministry is concerned that there will be an outbreak in Parliament,” he said.

Therefore, based on current risk assessment and to prevent a Covid-19 outbreak, the ministry has proposed that all meetings and sittings scheduled or involving individuals present at Parliament from July 26 to July 29 to be temporarily postponed for two weeks.

However, in direct defiance of the director-general’s advice, Public Accounts Committee chairman Wong Kah Woh has said it will meet tomorrow.

“When Parliament is not sitting, there will only be fewer than 30 people in the PAC room. I believe the health D-G knows and understands this fully well and in what manner he shall discharge his duty to the nation,” he said in a statement today.

Noor Hisham said the risk assessment will be reviewed from time to time.

Those who were present from July 26 and July 29 were also advised to monitor their health status.

Noor Hisham said he had also briefed the prime minister, the minister in charge of security, parliament minister, the Dewan Rakyat speaker and his deputies and senior party leaders from both sides of the political divide on the risk, the concerns of the ministry, and the mass screening results in a meeting on July 26.

They were given two options; to postpone the sitting until 40% of the population, especially that in the Klang Valley, have been immunised, or to conduct shorter sittings with a limited number of attendees.

Noor Hisham said the second option was selected.

On Thursday, Parliament adjourned early to enable Covid-19 testing on all MPs and staff after two positive cases were detected.

MPs were then in the midst of demanding the government explain its shock announcement that the emergency ordinances had been cancelled by the cabinet on July 21 without royal assent and without parliamentary debate.

The following day, Noor Hisham said the mass screening of MPs and Parliament staff had uncovered another 11 Covid-19 cases, raising the figure of infections in Parliament to 65. – August 1, 2021.