Thousands of Covid-19 contacts not traced

Good morning. Let's take a look at why our Covid-19 contact tracing system is under the spotlight. Here's what you need to know.

Key Highlights

• Covid-19 contacts go undetected
  
  
• Harapan's emergency strategy
  
  
• Brush with Covid-19
  
  

Covid-19 contacts go undetected

More than 6,000 Covid-19 close contacts in Selangor alone go undetected daily. There are too many cases and not enough tracers.

If you’ve come in contact with a Covid-19 patient, chances are, you’re not going to get a call from the health authorities anytime soon.

It’s now up to you. Here’s what you should do: Self-isolate for 10 days. If you don’t have symptoms, public hospitals won’t test you. 

You can get tested at a private clinic. If you’re positive but without symptoms, you’ll still be told to stay home.

If you have serious symptoms, seek immediate medical attention. Here are some resources from the Health Ministry to help you.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Thousands of Covid-19 close contacts not traced The system is too strained.
	Covid-19 and floods: Stories of SPM candidates Students are struggling for the exam.
	Doctor didn't die of fatigue, says wife  He died of acute respiratory distress.

Harapan’s emergency strategy

Pakatan Harapan isn’t going to take the emergency bull by its horns, mindful that political opponents could play the treason card.

Instead of challenging the emergency, it will challenge the suspension of Parliament in court.

After all, activist Khairuddin Abu Hassan already filed a separate suit challenging the prime minister’s advice for an emergency.

No one has directly challenged the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s declaration as it’s likely an exercise in futility. The Constitution says the Agong’s decision is final.

Harapan also agreed to nominate three candidates to the bipartisan committee that will advise the king on the emergency.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Harapan will join emergency committee Three names will be submitted.
	'Who else suspended Constitution for Covid-19?' Finance minister challenged to give example.
	Special Parliament won't test Muhyiddin's confidence Lim Kit Siang assures it is purely on Covid-19.

Brush with Covid-19

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his predecessor Najib Abdul Razak are under self-isolation after being exposed to a Covid-19 patient.

The patient is Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman. He was a close contact of Padang Rengas MP Nazri Abdul Aziz, who also tested positive.

However, social media’s attention was on Nazri’s family, under the “best home quarantine ever” at a villa with a beach.

There were also speculations that Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin, an instrumental operative in Bersatu’s expansion, was in the intensive care unit.

Hamzah’s office did not directly address the claim other than to say he is in stable condition.


HIGHLIGHTS

	Quarantine at a villa Nazri's wife shares her experience.
	MMA wants mental health help for frontliners It also calls to ensure sufficient PPE supply.
	Nora Anne's family seeks to overturn ruling They want the misadventure finding overturned.

A daily glance at Covid-19

• 4,008 new cases yesterday (Jan 20), the second time new infections breached the 4,000-mark.
  
  
• The new infections are just 21 cases shy of the record high of 4,029 on Jan 16.
  
  
•  Active cases break 40,000 for the first time.
  
  
• Malaysiakini also compiles daily locations affected by Covid-19 so you can take precaution.
  
  

What else is happening?

• The MCMC was not tickled by a parody poster claiming the hashtag #SiBodohKauDengarSini was banned, warning that it was fake.
  
  
• US President Donald Trump pardoned Elliott Broidy, who pleaded guilty to illegal foreign lobbying on the 1MDB matter.
  
  
• Bank Negara maintained the Overnight Policy Rate. That means the interests on your loan repayment is unchanged.
  
  
• Cosmetic entrepreneur Nur Sajat was charged for dressing as a woman.
  
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

	Dr M's Pejuang hits a stone wall He says Muhyiddin is doing a 'Najib'.
	Alumni asks if UiTM forced lecturer out The lecturer did a study tour to an opposition office.
	Law group: PAS man using LGBT to distract The deputy minister mulls harsher punishment for LGBT.

What are people saying?

	Covid-19: Nothing to Learn from East Asia? By KS Jomo
	The ethics of prioritising Covid-19 vaccination By Peter Singer
	The system gives Malaysians a right to be angry By R Nadeswaran

KINI LENS