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KUALA LUMPUR: There are only two weeks left of supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) to distribute to all hospitals in Malaysia, the country’s Ministry of Health said on Monday (April 13).
At a press conference, the ministry’s director general, Noor Hisham Abdullah, urged those who have donated PPE to continue to do so.
“The use of PPE has increased from two to 10 times the normal amount. It’s not like fans where once you have it, it’s enough. These are consumables.
“PPE, we use them every day and the important thing is that we continue to receive these supplies. As of now, we have about two weeks (worth) of supply, “he said.
This photo from the brochure taken and published on February 4, 2020 by the Malaysian Ministry of Health shows health workers wearing protective suits when Malaysian citizens arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport after being evacuated from Wuhan de China. (Photo: AFP / Malaysian Ministry of Health / Muzzafar Kasim)
Dr. Noor Hisham explained that PPE is obtained through three methods.
“First, the distribution is done by the central government. Second, the states and third, the different non-governmental organizations,” he said, adding that the ministry was working on the effective disbursement of supplies to all states. .
Earlier this month, he assured the public that the supply of PPE was sufficient, adding that the challenge was to distribute it to hospitals that needed it most, including those in Sabah and Sarawak.
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He said Monday there were 134 new cases, bringing the total count to 4,817.
“Today there are 168 recoveries, bringing the total number of recoveries to 2,276, which is 47.23 percent of the total number of positive cases.”
He added that 66 cases were being treated in the Intensive Care Unit and 36 of them required the ventilator.
One more death has brought the total number of deaths to 77, said Dr. Noor Hisham.
The most recent victim is a 62-year-old man from Malacca with a heart condition and high blood pressure. The individual had also participated in a massive religious gathering that took place in Sri Petaling from February 27 to March 1.
File photo of Malaysian health workers examining people for COVID-19. (Photo: Facebook / Noor Hisham Abdullah)
25 GROUPS IN TOTAL, INCLUDING 1 LINKED TO BALI
Dr. Noor Hisham said at the press conference that there are now 25 groups and subgroups across the country.
There is a new group linked to Bali, which has been detected in Kuantan, Pahang.
He said the group was made up of 20 people, including 3 health professionals.
Fourteen people are being treated in Pahang, two have recovered, three are in the ICU and one has died, he said.
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Dr. Noor Hisham explained that the group’s first case had a history of travel to Bali.
“He then had close contact with his brother, who infected seven second-generation cases and 11 third-generation cases.”
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