Laboratory of Biocomposite Technology, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
UPM Press, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
Int J Infect Dis. 2020 Aug;97:108-116. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.05.093. Epub 2020 Jun 2.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel pneumonia disease originating in Wuhan, was confirmed by the World Health Organization on January 12, 2020 before becoming an outbreak in all countries.
A stringent screening process at all airports in Malaysia was enforced after the first case outside China was reported in Thailand. Up to April 14, 2020, Malaysia had reported two waves of COVID-19 cases, with the first wave ending successfully within less than 2 months. In early March 2020, the second wave occurred, with worrying situations.
The Government of Malaysia enforced a Movement Control Order starting on March 18, 2020 to break the chain of COVID-19. The media actively spread the hashtag #stayhome. Non-governmental organizations, as well as prison inmates, started to produce personal protective equipment for frontliners. Various organizations hosted fundraising events to provide essentials mainly to hospitals. A provisional hospital was set up and collaborations with healthcare service providers were granted, while additional laboratories were assigned to enhance the capabilities of the Ministry of Health.
An initial financial stimulus amounting to RM 20.0 billion was released in February 2020, before the highlighted PRIHATIN Package, amounting to RM 250 billion, was announced. The PRIHATIN Package has provided governmental support to society, covering people of various backgrounds from students and families to business owners.
2020 年 1 月 12 日，世界卫生组织将源自武汉的新型肺炎疾病正式命名为“2019 冠状病毒病”（Coronavirus Disease 2019，COVID-19），随后该疾病在全球蔓延。
首例境外输入病例在泰国报告后，马来西亚所有机场都加强了严格的筛查程序。截至 2020 年 4 月 14 日，马来西亚已报告两波 COVID-19 病例，第一波疫情在不到 2 个月内成功结束。2020 年 3 月初，第二波疫情发生，情况令人担忧。
马来西亚政府于 2020 年 3 月 18 日实施了行动管制令，以阻断 COVID-19 的传播链。媒体积极传播#stayhome 标签。非政府组织和监狱囚犯开始为前线人员生产个人防护设备。各组织举办筹款活动，主要向医院提供必需品。还设立了一家临时医院，并与医疗服务提供商合作，同时指定了更多的实验室来增强卫生部的能力。
2020 年 2 月，在宣布总额为 2500 亿令吉的“关怀”配套计划之前，政府已发放了 200 亿令吉的初始经济刺激配套。“关怀”配套计划为社会提供了政府支持，涵盖了从学生和家庭到企业主等各个背景的人群。
