Risk Of Sudden Surge In Covid-19 Cases In Malaysia Still Exists - Health D-G

PUTRAJAYA, May 2 (Bernama) -- There is still a risk of a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in the country if the people are negligent and complacent in practising the new normal, stressed Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. Thus, he said, it was important for everyone to cooperate and be committed in playing their roles to ensure the country could tackle the spread of the virus. “The MOH (Ministry of Health) wants to remind all Malaysians that the pandemic is not over yet. “Globally, a total of 187 countries have been affected and the total number of COVID-19 positive cases currently has breached 3,343,777, with 238,650 deaths,” he said at the daily press conference on COVID-19 here Saturday. Today, Malaysia reported 105 COVID-19 positive cases as the number of confirmed daily cases reached triple digits after 15 straight days of being in double digits since April 17. He explained that the public should continue to practise safe social distancing, wear face masks especially in public places, wash their hands often with soap or hand sanitiser and avoid any form of gatherings. Since the COVID-19 curve in the country has been flattened, Dr Noor Hisham said hospitals now had a bigger capacity to treat more patients. For example, he said the overall usage rate of beds in 40 hospitals set aside for treating COVID-19 patients and 26 low-risk COVID-19 treatment centres was 17 percent. “Other than that, the usage rate of beds in Intensive Care Units (ICU) specifically for the treatment of patients suspected and confirmed to be COVID-19 positive is seven percent or 31 out of a total of 422 beds. “The use of ventilators, meanwhile, is only one percent or 12 out of the total of 1,059 devices,” he said. -- BERNAMA