Two weeks after govt lifts mandatory MySejahtera scans, usage plummets 97pc nationwide

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 — Usage of MySejahtera nationwide has plunged as far as 97 per cent since the government lifted the mandatory use of the mobile app to check in their presence at premises two weeks ago.

While the usage of MySejahtera still persists despite the abolishment of state-mandated check-in requirements, the difference was stark across the board in the statistics for daily check-ins, unique locations checked in, and unique users logged.

The data was gathered from what was published on the Health Ministry’s Github portal.

Looking at the data, Malaysia recorded just 520,662 daily check-ins on May 14 compared to 17,410,393 total check-ins on April 30.

The number of unique accounts also dropped 93.9 per cent, with only 442,318 recorded on May 14 compared to 7,281,285 unique users logged on April 30.

Overall, the number of unique premises checked in have dwindled from 503,643 logged on April 30 to 277,147 on May 14 — a difference of 72.4 per cent.

How the states compare

On April 30, daily check-ins in Selangor stood at 3,952,970. On May 14, the number dropped sharply to just 126,734. This decline was 96.7 per cent.

Selangor also saw just 111,849 for its number of unique accounts checked in on May 14, a drop of 94.7 per cent from 2,134,879 logged on April 30.

The data was similar in neighbouring Kuala Lumpur.

The national capital saw just 53,478 daily check-ins on May 14 from 2,816,509 recorded on April 30, a drop of 98.1 per cent.

The number of unique accounts checked in on May 14 was at 47,707 and also saw a drop of 97.7 per cent from 2,134,879 on April 30.

Johor also saw a significant decrease in daily check-ins from 1,960,109 on April 30 to just 74,830 on May 14, a noticeable drop of 96.2 per cent.

In the north, Perak also saw a considerable decrease of 96.4 per cent from 1,154,978 daily check-ins recorded on April 30 to 39,130 on May 14.

Similarly, Penang saw a decrease of 94.9 per cent from 1,083,431 daily check-ins recorded on April 30 to 55,562 on May 14.

Across the South China Sea, a 98.3 per cent drop in daily check-ins from 1,466,772 on April 30 to 24,630 on May 14 was observed in Sarawak.

Sabah saw a drop of 97.4 per cent from 1,288,866 on April 30 to 33,365 on May 14.

However the most glaring difference is observed in the two federal territories of Putrajaya and Labuan at 88.4 per cent and 80.9 per cent respectively.

In Labuan, a mere 567 daily check-ins were logged on May 14, compared to 51,719 on April 30 — a difference of 99 per cent.

The federal administrative capital of Putrajaya saw just 1,163 daily check-ins on May 14 compared to 116,184 on April 30 — a difference of 99 per cent as well.

Earlier this month, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said the Malaysian government should ensure the continuity of the MySejahtera contact tracing application by retrofitting existing features, instead of retiring it entirely.

MMA president Dr Koh Kar Chai was quoted as saying the MySejahtera application could be further developed to enable storing of existing medical treatment records that can be accessed by healthcare professionals to ensure continuity of care.

The MySejahtera mandate is only one of several Covid-19 measures the federal government introduced and is now rolling back as the nation transitions towards endemicity.

While the mandatory QR code scanning through MySejahtera and vaccination status verification before entering premises have been discontinued, business owners are still required to screen patrons who are under Covid-19 quarantine.