PUTRAJAYA: There is no evidence that the use of disinfection box/ chamber/ tunnel/ booth/ partition/ gate can effectively prevent the spread of Covid-19, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He said the duration of between 20 and 30 seconds during which a person is sprayed with disinfectant solutions was inadequate for effective disinfection.
Dr Noor Hisham said the chemical used might also cause damage to the mucosal membranes of the human body such as eyes and mouth.
“Based on the evaluation carried out by the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Unit, the Ministry of Health (MOH) therefore, does not recommend the use of disinfection box/chamber/tunnel/booth/partition/gate as a measure to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection in humans,” he told the daily press conference on the Covid-19 situation at the ministry here yesterday.
Dr Noor Hisham said the MOH had received several endorsement applications for the use of disinfection box/chamber/tunnel/booth/partition/gate to reduce Covid-19 infection, whereby their use has been evaluated by the HTA Unit.
“Evaluations have been conducted on several models of such devices in several countries, as well as existing devices in Malaysia,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said after nearly one month of the implementation of phase one and two of the movement control order (MCO), the new Covid-19 cases had recorded a relatively stable trend without any sudden increases.
In addition, he said the daily number of recovered patients and discharged had increased.
However, Dr Noor Hisham said the public compliance with the MCO was crucial at this stage.
The MOH also welcomed the decision by the National Security Council that more severe action would be taken against members of the public who did not comply with the MCO, he added.
“It is hoped that this will lead to a positive impact in flattening the epidemic curve and ensure that MOH healthcare facilities are able to manage all Covid-19 patients.
“MOH is concerned that non-compliance of the MCO can negate and undo all the hard work that has been done so far,” he said. – Bernama
