In the past few weeks, on 27th February 2020, the good news was spread across the nation - we only had 2 cases of COVID-19 left and Malaysia appears to be set to eliminating its trace once and for all.
However, a little over a week later, on 6th March 2020, there is a total of 83 confirmed cases. The following week, 13th March 2020, 197 confirmed cases and fast forward to today, 19th March 2020, Malaysia has now a total of 900 confirmed cases.
How did our country go from having only 2 cases left to having hundreds of cases confirmed in such a short time? What happened in the period of 2 weeks?
The answer is relatively simple. We didn't practice social distancing.
Malaysians did not take it seriously when the entire nation was told to practice social distancing a mere 7 days ago. Many people still went on with their daily lives, hardly keeping in mind that they need to maintain social distance if they wanted to stop the spread.
The mass gather at Sri Petaling had also contributed to the problem. The event had about 16,000 people gathering in a single area, which caused two-thirds of the confirmed cases that Malaysia currently has.
During the event, it was reported that 1 Bruneian was tested positive for COVID-19. It was uncertain whether there are still more people tested positive for the disease during the mass gather. One way or the other, this, in turn, resulted in Malaysia's pandemic outbreak.
South Korea also faced the same consequence. It is unclear when was South Korea's Patient 31 infected with the disease. However, prior to her attendance at a mass gathering in Daegu, she had also fallen ill and checked herself into a hospital but refused to get tested. But as her symptoms worsen, she gave in to the doctor's advice and got herself tested for COVID-19. After she was tested positive, South Korea's numbers of confirmed cases increased drastically because she had come to close contact with more than 1,100 people.
But the most terrifying part that all of us should worry about, is that infected people do not show symptoms immediately after being infected. Thus, people can just walk around and spread the virus without even knowing!
This is where the role of SOCIAL DISTANCING steps in.
Avoid public places, crowds, and large gatherings. This lowers the risk of spreading the disease from one person to another.
This isn't just about protecting yourself from being infected, this is also about ensuring that those who are infected do not pass on the virus to somebody else.
If we do not do our part by following the social distancing guidelines, Health director-general, Datuk Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah warns that the third wave might happen for the COVID-19 outbreak.
As there are still many uncertainties about the disease, it is only right if we abide by the guidelines given by the authorities. It is not only you that is scared of COVID-19, but the whole nation is also.
In conclusion, we, as a nation, should work together with the government and do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19.
On another note, I hope that everyone stays safe and takes precautionary measures at all times. Please seek medical attention immediately if you feel unwell.
