[ad_1]
KLANG (THE STAR / ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – At least 50 staff members and an undisclosed number of patients at a major hospital in Selangor’s town of Klang have tested positive for Covid-19, a health official said Thursday (17 from December).
Klang is the same city where the coronavirus spread in recent weeks in the factories and dormitories of the world’s largest glove maker, Top Glove.
Investigations carried out by the Selangor Health Department and the hospital, the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR), have so far failed to shed light on how the Covid-19 infection had taken hold in the facility, the director said. Selangor Health Center, Sha’ari. Ngadiman.
He said it was unclear whether these 50 staff members had contracted the virus before and passed it on to patients who are hospitalized, or the other way around.
Malaysian authorities lifted a month-long lockdown on the dormitories that housed Top Glove Corp workers on Monday after more than 5,000 employees tested positive for Covid-19.
Last month, the government implemented strict movement controls and ordered Top Glove to close its factories in stages to facilitate testing of its more than 11,000 workers in Klang.
Dr Sha’ari said Thursday: “Klang, being in a red zone and an increase in cases of severe acute respiratory infection who sought treatment at HTAR may have caused the increase in Covid-19 cases (the hospital) .
“The hospital is always cautious and ensures that standard operating procedures and the use of personal protective equipment are always followed.”
Hospital staff who became infected have been transferred for treatment to a large hospital in Sungai Buloh, one of the main designated centers for the treatment of Covid-19.
Dr. Sha’ari confirmed that there were HTAR patients who were infected, but did not reveal the numbers.
Sources claim that there were around 100 positive cases of Covid-19 at HTAR, and 50 of them were patients who had been admitted there to be treated for other ailments.
Dr. Sha’ari said the situation was under control with all contacts swabbed and placed under a house surveillance order.
All patients who had been in contact with infected hospital staff also had a swab test.
“The patients were still being treated (in the hospital) and the situation is under control.
“The public is advised not to come to the hospital, unless it is necessary,” said Dr. Sha’ari.
Earlier, Klang MP Charles Santiago lashed out at the state Health Ministry and Health Department for allowing the hospital to keep the matter a secret until it spread widely on social media.
[ad_2]
