Analysis of Public Inquiries Received by CPRC During COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) is the national command centre for infectious disease surveillance under Ministry of Health Malaysia which was established under the 9th Malaysia Plan (2006- 2010) for the management of health-related crises and disasters. Disease outbreaks are increasingly becoming more frequent and diverse around the world due to a combination of ecological, environmental, and socioeconomic factors. In essence, preparedness and response capacity are prerequisites for effective risk reduction and effective information transmission during emergency outbreaks in Malaysia.

Methods This study involved secondary data obtained from CPRC Putrajaya. The inquiry calls, emails and WhatsApp on COVID-19 issues submitted by the public from March until April 2020 were descriptively analyzed. Linear regression models were fitted to identify the correlation between the trend of incoming inquiries with the imposition of movement control order (MCO).

Results [Refer to Poster].

Conclusion Our data suggest that Malaysians opt for a trusted source of information and CPRCs are considered to be the central nerve point in providing relevant information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, CPRCs should develop an effective risk communication format to cater to the public’s concern on health education during pandemics. However, our study also found that a proper data management system is highly needed in CPRCs to strengthen the command capacity overall.