So much so that the upcoming Phase 3 of the Movement Control Order (MCO) could eradicate the spread of the virus once and for all.
Why Phase 3 is important
Director-General of Health, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, told Astro Awani that Malaysia has smashed an earlier projection of 6,300 positive COVID-19 cases made by analytical firm JPMorgan Chase & Co.
As of Monday (13 April), Malaysia has recorded just 4,817 cases and Dr Noor Hisham is confident the country can reduce the number of cases to 5,000 on Tuesday (14 April).
That, he said, is a sign that Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the MCO have been successful.
"This is a sign of success that we have been able to control the number of cases and gradually flattening the curve," he was quoted as saying.
Therefore, Dr Noor Hisham stressed that Phase 3 of the MCO, which kick starts Wednesday (15 April) is the most important of all, not just because it signifies that the country is in the recovery phase, but because it could spell an end to the COVID-19 pandemic once and for all.
"We hope we are in the recovery phase. We are still closely monitoring it because it has not yet fully come down.
“We need to bring it down further and that is why the MCO Phase 3 is so important.
"If we succeed in doing so, it is possible for us to reduce the case, not only to flatten the curve but also to end the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country," he was quoted by the news portal as saying.
Prior to this, JP Morgan analysts have predicted that Malaysia will see a boom in COVID-19 cases on 14 April, but today's data shows that our #DudukRumah movement has been flattening the curve quite a bit.
Way to go, you guys! Just hang in there for another two weeks and we'll be clear.