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KUALA LUMPUR: The third wave of the Covid-19 outbreak that has hit the country since early October is the most challenging yet, Tan Sri Director-General for Health Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.
He said that compared to the first two waves, the new transmissions involving various groups in Sabah and Kedah are due to the Covid-19 virus with the D614G type mutation, which spreads more easily due to its higher infectivity rate.
However, he said the new wave is more controlled because broadcasts are confined within the prison area and isolated from the community.
“The transmissions are more controlled because they are inside the prison. The rapid implementation of the administrative EMCO (Enhanced Movement Control Order) in the affected areas also ensures that they do not spread to communities outside the prison, ”he said today at an online press conference through the Facebook account of the Ministry of Health.
The third wave of Covid-19 to hit Malaysia since October 1 has seen the number of new infections soar into triple digits for nine consecutive days, with the highest number being 691 cases on Tuesday (October 6).
Based on the experience of the MOH in facing the first and second waves Covid-19, Dr. Noor Hisham said that this time he was better prepared, with the capacity and capacity of 60 laboratories that can perform more than 41,000 tests per day.
He said that although the number of cases has increased, only 51 percent of the laboratory’s maximum capacity is currently being used.
“In terms of medical and health facilities, we have added low-risk Covid-19 quarantine and treatment centers in addition to adding beds in hospitals and ICUs (intensive care units) with respiratory support and supply of medical equipment as sufficient protective equipment staff (PPE), ”he said.
Meanwhile, he said the Health Ministry adopted a new protocol and guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO), as patients no longer need to test negative to be discharged from the hospital.
He said that based on numerous WHO scientific and test data, patients who have recovered and discharged are no longer infectious after 10 days.
“According to this protocol, even if the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test is positive (due to the period of shedding of the virus), it will not be infectious,” he said.
Before this, he said, the Ministry of Health took precautions by keeping Covid-19 patients for 14 days and with the PCR test performed twice, 22 hours apart, adding that only when the results come back negative, the patient can be discharged. -Called
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