COVID-19 PANDEMIC DAY 143: PETALING JAYA- Kudos to Malaysia: Fatality rate at 1.6% with 83 deaths as of Wednesday.

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Malaysia has recorded a low Covid-19 fatality rate compared with many other countries, at 1.6% with 83 deaths as of Wednesday.

The local death-to-positive-cases percentage is much lower than countries such as Belgium (13.2%), Italy (13.1%), United Kingdom (13%), France (11.6%), Spain (10.5%), and the United States (4.4%).

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PETALING JAYA: The government has taken all the right measures to balance between the safety of the public and ensuring the survival of the economy in its efforts to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.

Experts pointed out that the action taken so far has ensured that the number of coronavirus cases remained under control, with enough also being done to help businesses.

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Economist Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said the decision to impose the movement control order (MCO) at an early stage was particularly commendable, noting that delayed action by certain countries, like the United States, has proven to be tragic.

“The government went straight to the crux of the matter, and acted as quickly as possible. They also did not relax on restrictions too early like some countries, which led to a revival in cases.

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“They listened to the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and our own experts, and remained professional. These have certainly helped,” he told theSun yesterday.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had last month announced that the country would be under restricted movement, when the total number of positive cases at the time was “only” 553.

The measures being taken to ensure the virus could be contained have been commended by various quarters worldwide, including WHO.

Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was also recently named by China Global TV Network as one of the top three doctors in the world in handling the Covid-19 outbreak.

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However, Ramon said focusing on the health aspect alone was not the full picture, adding that the government has done similarly well to ensure the country’s finances and economy would remain strong once the crisis was over.

“I’d like to think that the government has got the balance right. Yes, there has been pressure from some businesses asking for the MCO to be relaxed early. That may be in their interest, but not for the public,” he said.

Malaysian Wellness Society president Datuk Dr Rajbans Singh similarly said the government has done “all the right things” in combating Covid-19.

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He noted that since the beginning of the outbreak here, the actions taken have been very swift, with priority given to the safety of Malaysians, with the economy also not left out.

“Malaysia looks very focused on slowing down an increase in the number of cases, so as not to overwhelm the healthcare system. And so far, it looks like things are working, as the number of cases remains low.

“The government also knows that although businesses are not forgotten, the primary focus should be public health.”

Malaysia has recorded a low Covid-19 fatality rate compared with many other countries, at 1.6% with 83 deaths as of Wednesday.

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The local death-to-positive-cases percentage is much lower than countries such as Belgium (13.2%), Italy (13.1%), United Kingdom (13%), France (11.6%), Spain (10.5%), and the United States (4.4%).