A University-Wide Preparedness Effort in the Alert Phase of COVID-19 Incorporating Community Mental Health and Task-Shifting Strategies: Experience from a Bornean Institute of Higher Learning

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caught the world by surprise, causing millions of confirmed cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths. Hence, the Malaysian government announced a Movement Control Order at the start of the containment phase to flatten the epidemiological curve. Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), a public university in Borneo, was accelerated into alert phase because of high risk of case importation from more than 400 China incoming undergraduates. Measures to mitigate the potential COVID-19 outbreaks in its population were taken by using conventional public health measures with special attention to task-shifting and widespread community mental health interventions. A Preparedness and Response Centre was established to overseer the mitigating measures happening inside the university. Measures taken included empowerment of frontline staff, strengthening of restrictions, strengthening university health center, vigorous contact tracing, widespread health education, maintaining cultural sensitivity, and establishment of early standard operating procedures and university continuity plans. Hence, UMS was able to ensure no importation of cases into its campus during both acute and containment phases at the nationwide level.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on Covid-19 among Students during the Early Phase of Pandemic in a University in Borneo, Malaysia

“…In addition, previous study observed that during the early period of COVID-19 pandemic, majority of online information regarding COVID-19 were coming from non-reliable resources and poor quality information without scientific support [16]. Therefore, it is very important to ensure that students are specifically catered to have adequate knowledge that will influence their self-prevention habits that will at the end of the day help curb the spread if COVID-19 infection [6], [7]. Besides that, it may have psychological effects on those students who are currently being emotionally disturbed by the movement control order implementation [17]- [19].…”

The Importance of High Index of Suspicion and Immediate Containment of Suspected Covid-19 Cases in Institute of Higher Education Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

“…This is because new standard operational procedure needed to be established to take care of students especially those who were staying in campus Nevertheless, even before MCO, the institute had already been put on alert phase, and the operational team worked vigilantly to control and prevent any contact between campus residents and outsiders to reduce the risk of transmission. 7 Individual with high risk criteria such as fever, symptoms and travelling history were barred from entering the institute. Prevention measures were forwarded to all faculties in order to ensure social distancing was practised and disinfection steps were conducted at their premise.…”

“…5 With such potential for Covid-19 spread in mind, the university has implemented several steps in preparedness even since the alert phase to prevent any COVID-19 infections and emergence of clusters. 7 In China, as of 11 th February 2020, around sixtytwo percent of individuals confirmed for COVID-19 were drawn from nearly 70,000 suspected cases. The majority of them were from the working age group (87%), who mobilized freely and reported to have milder symptoms (81%).…”

Retrospective Analysis of Psychological Factors in COVID-19 Outbreak Among Isolated and Quarantined Agricultural Students in a Borneo University

“…Such prolonged quarantine can no doubt result in increased fears of Covid-19 (21,22), and have been associated with depression, anxiety, and stress in similar populations (23)(24)(25). Hence, it is crucial that early preventative measures at the university level be undertaken to increase surveillance at the alert phase (26,27), especially taking into account the impact of digital learning on student burnout and mental health (28). Crucially, brief psychological interventions also need to be undertaken to reduce psychological morbidity, especially in rural areas (29,30).…”