PETALING JAYA: A petition signed by health experts worldwide calling for protection to be focused on the high-risk group while the non-vulnerable get on with their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic has received mixed reaction in Malaysia.
Called the Great Barrington Declaration (GBD), infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists from around the world have urged societies to get back to normal as the battle against the pandemic goes on.
The declaration said: “Those who are not vulnerable should immediately be allowed to resume life as normal. Simple hygiene measures, such as hand washing and staying home when sick should be practised by everyone to reduce the herd immunity threshold.
“Schools and universities should be opened for in-person teaching. Extracurricular activities, such as sports, should be resumed.
“Young low-risk adults should work normally, rather than from home. Restaurants and other businesses should open. Arts, music, sport and other cultural activities should resume. People who are more at risk may participate if they wish, while society as a whole enjoys the protection conferred upon the vulnerable by those who have built up herd immunity.”
Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of Centre for Market Education Malaysia, agreed that this is the best approach to tackle the third wave of Covid-19 infections in the country.
“We have seen that the effects of a lockdown have been overrated. I agree with the GBD because it is the right strategy to preserve life and income of the non-vulnerable while emphasising targeted protection on the vulnerable ones,” he told FMT.
Ferlito believed the impact of a movement control order (MCO) outweighed its benefits for society.
He said the government must distinguish between those who tested positive and those needing intensive treatment in hospitals.
“After all, the main reason for a lockdown is to reduce the pressure on the intensive care unit’s (ICU) capacity in hospitals,” he said.
Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye, meanwhile, said the declaration was flawed.
Lee said it was wrong to assume that only older people were impacted by the virus. “One of our earlier deaths was a fit young man from Johor. We also had a one-year-old baby who died because of the virus.”
He said infection among young people should not be taken lightly. “While most of the young people who were infected survive, about 5% of those infected had significant pneumonia which required oxygen and hospital treatment. The burden of treating these patients is enormous.
“We also don’t know the long-term effect of Covid-19. The systemic inflammation due to immune response may have lifelong consequences.”
Lee also said there was no scientific evidence that “herd immunity” could be reached for Covid-19.
“Every virus is different. For example, we have never succeeded to develop immunity against HIV virus infection. To assume lasting immunity from Covid-19 is presumptuous.”
He said partial lockdown in locations with outbreaks must be adopted until effective vaccines were available.
“Whenever MCO is implemented, it should be reviewed every two weeks to decide whether to extend, upgrade or downgrade the restrain,” he said.
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