With the numbers in Malaysia rising every day, the country has been condemned for failing to contain the Covid-19 outbreak despite having hot weather.
On 5 April, a Taiwanese doctor, Dr Lee Bing Ying, said that it is easier to control viral diseases in countries with hot weather and said that Malaysia is “embarrassing” itself for failing to contain it, reported China Press.
In a show posted on Facebook, he said:
“It is easier to control an epidemic in tropical regions, but they are not totally immune to diseases,” said Dr Lee, chairman of the Paediatric Infectious Diseases Society of Taiwan.
“Let’s take influenza as an example. We have the influenza epidemic in Taiwan every winter and we still receive some cases during the summer.”
“I came across an article about research on influenza vaccines. According to the research results, I realised that there are three to four tropical countries with a lower influenza prevalence.”
“Therefore, if you are in a tropical country where the weather is hot, and yet you cannot control the viral disease, it is embarrassing.”
However, living in hot climates will not protect you against contracting the virus, according to the World Health Organisation.
FACT: Exposing yourself to the ☀️ or to temperatures higher than 25C degrees DOES NOT prevent COVID-19.
Posted by World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday, April 5, 2020
Dr Lee went on further to criticise Malaysians for not wearing masks and likened Malaysians to “American-England kind” of people.
“I saw some footage and pictures from Malaysia. They are not wearing face masks. I think they are like the American-England group, they are the same kind,” Dr Lee said.
The host of the show then noted that Malaysia used to be colonised by the British and claimed that Malaysians do not wear face masks because the weather is too hot and uncomfortable.
Dr Lee then responded that a lockdown is more unbearable.
“The Malaysian government then announced this and that and whatnot, but at the end of the day, the people are still not wearing face masks,” he said, adding that wearing face masks is the most important and most effective preventative step.
In yet another criticism of Malaysia’s ability to handle the outbreak, Dr Lee said that the government’s decision to put the country on a “lockdown” will kill people faster than the virus. At the same time, other guests on the show compared Malaysia to “poor” countries like India, African countries and Middle Eastern countries.
“The steps taken by the Malaysian government may reduce the number of deaths in the country, but more people will die of hunger and thirst,” Dr Lee said, adding that many citizens have been unemployed since the “lockdown” and will starve to death.
Dr Lee then urges the Malaysian government to reassess the implementation and concluded that the Covid-19 outbreak in Taiwan will continue to spread even after summer comes.
Wow! Such outrageous claims about Malaysia! What do you think of Dr Lee’s comments? Let us know!
Also read: Taiwanese Politician: M’sia Has “Too Many Corpses” They Have To Be Buried At The Roadside
