JOHOR BARU: The Johor government says those wanting to undergo swab tests at the Covid-19 assessment centre (CAC) in Pasir Gudang must get appointments first.
State Health and Environment Committee chairman R. Vidyananthan said the Health Department took note of the congestion at the CAC in Pasir Gudang lately.
“The main cause for this congestion is due to the accumulation of close contacts who had attended the CAC without an appointment.
“The daily average of positive cases present at the CAC is around 800 to 1,000 while the average number of close contacts is 1,000 to 1,200 per day, with a daily total of 3,000 individuals,” he said Wednesday (Aug 18).
Vidyananthan added that the Johor state Health Department has implemented a system to reduce the congestion at the CAC.
He said the Virtual Covid-19 Assessment Centre (VCAC) was to facilitate the management of positive patients as well as contact tracing in Johor.
“Some 15,000 individuals have used the VCAC so far since May 15,” he said, adding that anyone who has been confirmed positive, either through self-screening or at the clinic and has not been treated, should access the following link https://tinyurl.com/vcacjohor.
Vidyananthan said through the system, the person will be contacted by a health worker within 48 hours.
“The person is requested to not go to the CAC without an appointment. If during the waiting period, their symptoms worsen, call 999 for immediate assistance,” he added.
Vidyananthan also said all patients must have appointments but the CAC would accept walk-ins from those who have severe symptoms.
He added that people who were not close contacts are also advised not to go directly to the CAC but they can do self-screening or go to nearby clinics, either private or government, if they have symptoms.
Vidyananthan said there were also private clinics that offered services as CAC clinics, where patients can get an assessment of their health status in addition to the wearing and cutting of the bracelet.
“The list of private CAC clinics can be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/cacswasta,” he said, adding that there were 11 CACs still operating in Johor.
He added that for more information on Covid-19 patient management, visit the following e-book as a guide at http://online.anyflip.com/bkdyk/bbdd/mobile/index.html.
On Monday (Aug 16), The Star reported that there was major congestion at the low-risk quarantine and treatment centre (LQTC) at the Pasir Gudang Indoor Stadium with people waiting long hours to get tested.
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim said he had received many complaints and had even personally visited the LQTC recently.
“People from as far as Johor Baru and Pasir Gudang come to this centre. We should have more such centres to carry out mass testing.
“How can we win the war against Covid-19 with just one or two such centres,” he said, calling for the opening up of more LQTC in Covid-19 hotspots such as Johor Baru.
Source: The Star
