Up to Jan 31, the number of daily Covid-19 new cases in Malaysia had increased to 5,298, while the number of daily active cases had risen to 48,150.
The new daily figures remained above 5,000 for three days after that.
Sadly, 262 people died due to Covid-19 in the first 29 days of this year.
Ninety-two per cent, or 240 deaths, involved Malaysians, and the remaining eight per cent, or 22 deaths, involved foreigners.
The most common chronic diseases affecting the 262 deaths were high-blood pressure (64 per cent), diabetes (59 per cent), kidney (30 per cent), heart disease (19 per cent), dyslipidemia (16 per cent), stroke (eight per cent) and obesity (five per cent).
The total number of Covid-19 cases worldwide has exceeded 103 million.
Johns Hopkins University data shows that the United States remains the worst-affected country with more than 26.26 million cases. This is followed by India with 10.75 million and Brazil with 9.2 million cases, while countries with more than three million cases are the United Kingdom, Russia and France.
New Zealand is a country worth emulating in fighting the pandemic. Here, everyone follows the law, from a waiter up to Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister. Arden was turned away from a restaurant because it had reached its capacity.
Most countries have two problems. First, people do not follow the rules, and second, politicians are above the law.
When politicians are above the law, it is a signal to others that the law does not matter.
The law has to be respected. No exception is made even for a president because the virus does not care who one is.
Until Feb 2, New Zealand recorded only two active cases (health.gov.my). Indeed, the country has flattened the Covid-19 curve.
Shops, restaurants, cinemas, gyms are allowed to reopen. The rules are adhered to by the economic sector.
If we were to adopt the same mentality, perhaps we could beat the pandemic again.
Not only are New Zealanders law-compliant, they have been proven to be Islamic-compliant as well.
This has been discussed in an expert consultation organised by the Institute of Islamic Understanding on Dec 22 titled "New Zealand is the Most Islamic Country: How about Malaysia?"
New Zealand has been named the country most in line with Islamic teachings.
In the 2019 Islamic City Index (ICI), it topped the list of countries, followed by Sweden, Iceland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland. Malaysia dropped four notches to 47th place.
The ICI, which was founded by the Islamic City Foundation based in the United States, measures governments' compliance with Islamic teachings as stated in the Quran.
This includes complying with interest-free financing, educational equality, property rights, animal rights and others.
New Zealand scored high marks in all the categories, including anti-corruption laws and provisions to reduce poverty.
In terms of Islamic fundamental values on integrity and consensus, New Zealand does very well.
Speaking the truth to the government is a fundamental aspect of Islam, yet not all Muslim countries allow such a right.
The ICI was developed by Hossein Askari, who was born in Iran but has spent most of his life in the US.
Askari is an economist with a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He said the index should be seen as a benchmark rather than an allegation.
Whether one succeeds in flattening the Covid-19 curve depends on the attitude of the people in a country as the virus does not know its victims.
Significant differences are shown between the US and New Zealand. While the US has 26.26 million cases, New Zealand has only two.
Although the US is a country with technological sophistication and has the biggest economy in the world, it is unable to curb the pandemic, all because of attitude.
The writer is a senior fellow, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
