BFM Interview: Evolution of MySejahtera

MORE RELAXED SOPS FOR PHASE 1 STATES

Description:

Malaysia’s businesses are slowly reopening, even in Phase 1, for fully vaccinated people. Are we ready? First, we check in with two business owners, one representing F&B, another hairdressers and salons. Then, we look into the complaints around MySejahtera and our digital certificate as a means of verification. Image Source: Louis Hansel - Restaurant Photographer, Unsplash

Produced by: Adeline Choong, Tasha Fusil, Loo Juosie

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sharmilla Ganesan

Link here to the page and podcast audio: https://www.bfm.my/podcast/evening-edition/inside-story/more-relaxed-sops-for-phase-1-states

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1. MySejahtera has been around for a while now. How has it been evolving to suit the changing needs of pandemic management? 

Indeed, the first version released on Google Play Store on 17th April last year, with the version name: V1.0.10, until the latest update released on 2nd August this year, V1.0.42, that means Mysejahtera has now about 16 month history and evolved through 32 updates.

Besides the usual check-in function, It has definitely transformed significantly for 4 major uses:

1.   Hotspot identification

2.   Infection risk for oneself

3.   Home quarantine tool to communicate with the authority including the latest feature to update self-test result

4.   Vaccination appointments and digital certification

With its update rate of 5 versions per 2 months since the beginning of National COVID immunisation programme, we shall expect the app software to be sensitive and update frequently to meet the needs of the authority and the users.

 

2. More specifically, there have been complaints from owners of premises that the current app makes signing in rather complicated - especially since now they’d have to check for vaccination status as well. What kinds of changes could make this process smoother and more user-friendly? 

I agree. The current system in the Mysejahtera which produces the digital certificate is too subtle and inconvenient for the business operators to check for the details for every entry on a daily basis. The checker has to be in person getting up close to see the date displayed in the digital certificate. Imagine if the person has to check 60 customers per hour, or 480 customers per day, it would be tiresome. Yet, they would be equally fearful for the hefty compound received if they did not do it properly.

Many have suggested the fastest way to get around this issue is to have the digital certificate turning into a different colour say blue for fully vaccinated persons and that should be easily distinguishable from a distance. Still, if the business operator also has to check the infection risk of the customer, that means he or she needs to look at 2 different interface pages of MySejahtera. Better if the app developer can combine both info shown in one page.

Alternatively, MySejahtera could also consider developing one system for the business owner to scan the customers’ Mysejahtera QR code instead, and this could give a light or sound response for every positive or negative entry.

3. What other features might be helpful at this stage of the pandemic - where vaccinations are still ongoing, and the government is starting to open up the economy? 

For the authority, useful data could be collected from the users based on their vaccination status, to see the behaviour patterns of checking in and infectivity risk in the community.

Many countries are still learning about the vaccination effect on reducing the virus spread. The authority has to devise public health policy based on evidence, so this would be one kind of important info which can provide insights.

For the users, it would be helpful if the authority can set up other Malaysian language versions if possible. This is to learn from the vaksincovid.gov.my efforts. And for the helpdesk service, maybe there should be another button for the call center service catering for people who are not so comfortable in navigating so many options and text lines to find the answer… currently there is only one Emergency call line, this should not be abused.

 

4. And looking at data gathered through MySejahtera - recently, an article by Malaysiakini explored data published by GitHub which showed there were more logins through the app during the recent full lockdown, as compared to MCO3.0. What’s your take on that? 

Yes, the trends described in the article are true. At the national level, it is safe to say that the current activity level judging by the frequencies of unique check ins, we are back to the level of early May, or pre MCO3.0, even though there are about 15% of business locations still do not open during the same period, either they are already foreclosed or they are not ready to let their workers back in. 

The difference is, currently the daily new case number is about 8 times bigger than early May. But if we look into hotspot identification, the number of large hotspots is currently about 55% of the early May, while the number of small hotspots is about the same. This shows that the current MCO or NRP measures can keep large hotspots in check, but not small hotspots.

 

5. Why is this sort of data useful? 

I appreciate such data provided, for us to understand the effects of the government’s pandemic control measures to the behaviour of people in the community and work locations responding to the measures.

The public data is only useful if people do use it and analyse in meaningful ways. Surely the authority has much refined and granular data useful for them to strategize the disease control management and take appropriate actions in particular locality. The public data is currently only provided at the state level. 

 

6. To your knowledge, is this sort of data being used by the government in helping with the process of opening up and recovery? 

If you read the lines from the Director General of Health Dr Noor Hisham’s short statement yesterday, he mentioned that the opening up of economic sectors and relaxation of some restrictions such as dine in, are not based on public health recommendations but on economic consideration. 

So, if the data evidence were seriously employed by the authority to control the pandemic, the policy recommendation should be opposite to what is currently practiced in the NRP phase 1 and 2 states. 

However, this is already not so desirable for the public who are experiencing many socioeconomic issues under prolonged lockdown and severe restrictions. Given the full vaccination coverage is going up rapidly in some states, hence, this is the compromise. People do have a choice to respond, by not utilising the opportunity and freedom given to them, for the infection risk consideration. It is at their own discretion, but there are others who would have to do something to survive for a living. Thus, we should expect high daily new cases perhaps until October.

 

7. How do you see MySejahtera continuing to evolve and change? How long will it continue to be relevant?

MySejahtera will continue to be relevant as long as the pandemic is still on. This MySejahtera app will continue to be part of the major requirements for many SOPs in place, as well as the main communication channels between the people and the authority, and the authority needs the data from MySejahtera app to monitor the situation and take most appropriate actions based on the evidence.

So I expect everyone to keep it in your phone for at least another year, mark my words!