In a statement, MMA president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai said that the surveillance of Covid-19 variants and other potential pandemic viruses was still necessary.
“While the highest health authority has declared that Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency, it also states that the virus remains a significant threat, especially to vulnerable groups.”
He said the virus could still have an impact on the country’s healthcare system from time to time if the people lowered their guard.
On Friday, WHO declared the end of Covid-19 as a global health emergency, a major step towards the end of the pandemic that has killed more than 6.9 million people, disrupted the global economy, and ravaged communities.
The death rate has slowed from a peak of more than 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 in the week to April 24, according to WHO data.
“We can move on from here but the way forward in managing the virus is for us to continue to use the knowledge we have accumulated, such as masking up when having symptoms, particularly around high-risk individuals, self-testing, and isolating when tested positive,” Muruga said.
He added that people are also encouraged to continue the practice of washing hands regularly and using hand sanitisers as these are the most basic steps in the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
He said the pandemic had also demonstrated the importance of a resilient healthcare system and urged the government to continue giving priority to strengthening the country’s healthcare system.
“This is especially so in developing and expanding public healthcare human resources. Special attention also needs to be given to pandemic preparedness,” he said.
Previously, former Johor state assemblyman Dr Boo Cheng Hau had also called for improvements to be made to public healthcare and increase civic awareness to future-proof the country against other challenges.
WHO’s emergency committee first declared that Covid-19 represented its highest level of alert on Jan 30, 2020. That status helped focus international attention on the health threat as well as bolster collaboration on vaccines and treatments.