Malaysia Border Security and Pandemic COVID-19

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic. As of April 28, 2020, infected patients were present in 185 countries and there were more than 3,000,000 cases reported worldwide, with more than 210,000 fatalities. The outbreak began in China, but the number of cases outside of China exceeded those in China by March 15, 2020, and rose at an exponential rate (Kevin J. Clerkin, 2020). The study of human mobility is one of the main factors that contribute to the worldwide dissemination of microorganisms. The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was recently reported to transmit to neighboring countries with relocation diffusion. With most of the studies focusing on China, Western Europe and the USA, little is known about its evolution and genome variability in Southeast Asian (SEA) countries. SEA is home to more than half a billion or 9% of the world’s population. As the region grapples with a surge in infection cases since March 2020, it is important to investigate purported mutations and the role of geographical proximity in shaping the genetic structure of the SARS-CoV-2 in SEA countries. On March 4, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) outlined that only nine of the 11 countries have the capacity to test for COVID-19, suggesting that the lack of testing facilities could hinder the preparedness and response planning of these countries towards COVID-19. Among the SEA countries, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore employ a large number of migrant workers, with Malaysia being the top importer with approximately 2.23 million people.