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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s top hospitals face coronavirus outbreaks among healthcare workers and staff, as the number of active Covid-19 cases hit a record high of more than 15,000 on Friday (December 18).
Klang General Hospital and Serdang Hospital, two major hospitals in the country’s richest and most populous state, Selangor, have suffered an outbreak among their workers in recent weeks.
Klang Hospital has seen more than 50 employees infected with the virus and Serdang Hospital has recorded 29 cases.
Sungai Buloh Hospital, another key facility treating Covid-19 patients, reported 15 cases among its workers. And the Kuala Lumpur Hospital has registered 10 cases, the Health Ministry reported on Friday.
The hospitals collectively serve a densely populated urban area totaling more than seven million people, spanning both Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
The Health Ministry confirmed on Friday that a total of 1,359 coronavirus infections have been recorded among healthcare workers since the third wave of the pandemic began in late September. On Friday alone, it reported another 43 infections among healthcare workers.
Another 1,697 health workers are subject to a home surveillance order, which places them in home quarantine for at least 10 days.
“This drastic increase is believed to be closely related to the increase in community transmission. However, the cases in all the hospitals involved are still under control and health services are provided as usual,” the ministry said in its update. newspaper about the coronavirus. situation.
He also said that most of his healthcare workers contracted the infection through community transmission and from other healthcare workers. However, 23 percent of all reported infections involving healthcare workers are still under investigation.
The rise in cases involving healthcare workers comes at a time when Malaysia’s total active cases hit an all-time high. The country registered 1,683 new cases on Friday, bringing the total active cases to 15,140.
Together, the Klang Valley areas of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, where the hospitals are located, registered 889 new cases on Friday, more than half of the total registered nationally.
Malaysia’s total number of cases also passed the 90,000 mark on Friday. It has now overtaken China, where the coronavirus outbreak was first reported about a year ago. The total in Malaysia is 90,816.
The government also announced on Friday that it will extend the restrictions on the conditional movement control order for the Klang Valley and Sabah state until December 31. Both areas had been under partial lockdown since October 14, as infection rates showed no signs of abating.
Earlier this month, the government lifted travel restrictions, effectively allowing free movement, but some restrictions persist in the social sector and events.
Malaysia has so far recorded 432 deaths from coronavirus. No new deaths were recorded on Friday. There are 106 people receiving treatment in intensive care units, and about half of them need respiratory assistance, the ministry said.
On Tuesday, a nurse at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia in Kelantan state died of complications related to the coronavirus, becoming the latest front-line victim.
The ministry also revealed on Friday that nurses make up the largest group of healthcare workers infected with Covid-19.
So far, a total of 690 nurses have been infected, along with 211 doctors.
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