Malaysia earns international recognition for COVID-19 response
Malaysia praised for quick response and strict measures in COVID-19 fight
Image adapted from: Noor Hisham Abdullah
Malaysians have no doubt been waving around that Malaysian boleh flag recently. From recovery rates exceeding new COVID-19 cases to increases in green zones, our battle against COVID-19 seems to be going well with doubled efforts from frontliners and many diligently adhering to the Movement Control Order (MCO).
So while the pandemic is not over yet, many can take heart in these wins because Malaysia’s response to COVID-19 has now gained international recognition – the World Health Organisation (WHO) has applauded Malaysia’s response in tackling the virus, as well as an American YouTuber and dental surgeon with praise for our MCO that has gone viral online.
WHO praises Malaysia’s handling of COVID-19
According to a report by Free Malaysia Today on 11th May 2020, WHO’s Head of Mission and Representative to Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore applauded Malaysia’s management of COVID-19.
We’ve conducted mass screenings on high-risk groups nationwide, with frontliners in KL going above and beyond by even carrying the elderly to get tested for the virus.
Frontliners seen carrying the elderly to get tested for COVID-19 in KL
Image credit: Noor Hisham Abdullah
The way that Malaysia carried out its MCO orders in phases was also highlighted by WHO, with safety measures put in place to effectively tackle the prevalent issues on hand at each turn. This helped us see a dip in new cases with each additional phase.
New COVID-19 cases in Malaysia decreases with each additional MCO phase
Image adapted from: KKM
YouTuber dental surgeon also applauds MCO orders
Malaysia’s response to COVID-19 fight has also won the praise of many outside the country offline and online, with an American professor saying that the US should even take a leaf from our book.
The people who have praised our response now also include YouTuber and American dental surgeon, Dustin Pfundheller. A recent video he posted on Facebook called “Malaysia’s Incredible Covid-19 Story” has now gone viral with over 49,000 reactions and 52,000 shares.
Image credit: Other Side Of Truth
In the video, he highlighted that the spike in cases in Malaysia in March 2020 didn’t come from partying or bad behaviour, but from a religious gathering.
He goes on to praise our quick response to it, including phases implemented for MCO and Enhanced MCO for areas with reported cases. This helped us see a significant drop in the number of reported COVID-19 cases, with Malaysia now no longer having the most COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia.
He also cites us as an example of how “we can all overcome this” by responding quickly in the COVID-19 fight that has now affected over 200 countries.
Praise for Malaysia’s response to COVID-19
While many have been feeling the weight of the extension of the MCO, it’s shown to be effective so far, with reported COVID-19 cases dropping since its implementation. So with frontliners continuing to work hard while we stick to social distancing and practice good personal hygiene, we can keep new COVID-19 cases at a low and finally have virus-free streets for all.
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