SABAH RECORDS 291 COVID-19 CASES

Sumber KKM

12 OCTOBER 2020

KOTA KINABALU: A total of 563 Covid-19 cases were reported in Malaysia Monday, with Sabah recording at 291.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said, the additional cases bring total number of nationwide infections to 16,220, with 5,039 patients still being treated in hospitals.

Overall, he said, Sabah still recorded the highest numbers with 51.7 per cent of the total of new cases today.

“This followed the screening activities that had been carried out continuously, especially in various districts placed under Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) and administrative EMCO,” he said, adding that Sabah has also been recording death cases these few days.

According to Noor Hisham, the Ministry of Health (MOH) have worked together with other agencies to increase the capacity of beds in local hospitals – 978 for hospitals and 4,010 low-risk quarantine and treatment centres, with usage rate of 32 per cent to date.

“Apart from that, a field hospital has also been set up with the army in Semporna, as well as increased contact tracing activities, isolation of Covid-19 patients, provision of early treatment, and an increase in numbers of ventilators and anaesthetists in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” he said.

According to him, there has been a greater burden on labs for the test samples process due to increased screening activities in the state.

“The ministry has therefore increased lab capacities across Sabah, worked together with private labs and transported a total of 2,223 extra test samples to labs in the peninsula.

“The stock of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Sabah is also sufficient … The ministry will ensure that it will be distributed to those in need as soon as possible,” he said.

Meanwhile, Noor Hisham mentioned several health workers from other states have been mobilised in Sabah to address the lack of health workers in local hospitals.

Some health workers in Sabah contracted the disease and needed to be quarantined, he said.

“The ministry would also like to urge non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to step forward and assist Sabah curb the spread of Covid-19 in the state.”

Ends