The term “False Sense of Security” has been thrown around a lot during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Because there is so much that is not known about the disease at the start of the pandemic, people are trying to do what ever they think will made them feel safe and secure. Doing more is not necessarily good as it may not provide you with a safer and more secure environment. We must always act based on evidence.
After more than two months of managing the situation in the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, we have a clearer understanding and know that we can use Risk Assessment for the basis of our actions.
Testing for SARS-CoV-2 for all workers or all foreign workers in a company is not the solution.
In an article published in the CodeBlue Galen Centre, Prof Datuk Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman has pointed out that UMMC has developed a Guideline for Workplace. According to the guidelines, it is unnecessary to run Covid-19 tests on all employees returning to work post-lockdown, noting: “A single test will not be useful given that employees may get infected from the community at any point of time”.
“A negative test may lead to a false sense of security in both employees and employers alike.”
Return to Work after the Movement Control Order (MCO) for COVID-19 infection – A Guide for Workplace
The UMMC guidelines pointed out that this was the reason why health care facilities do not test their staff for coronavirus, unless they had moderate or high risk of infection.
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