156 new cases confirmed today

By Xavier Kong

MINISTRY of Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah noted that there are an increasing number of vehicles on the road signifying lower adherence towards the Movement Control Order (MCO).

He called for Malaysians to remain vigilant against Covid-19 by adhering to the MCO.

At his daily update on April 8, Dr Noor Hisham said there are more recoveries today than new cases, with 166 new recovery cases, giving it a total of 1,487 recoveries, against 156 new cases confirmed today with a total of 4,119.

Of these cases, 76 are currently being treated in the intensive care unit, with 45 needing ventilator support. This is also a lower number compared to April 7. A further two deaths were also reported, giving a death toll of 65 from Covid-19 in Malaysia.

Of the 4,119 confirmed cases, 145 of the infected are non-Malaysians.

Sixty percent of the death cases aged more than 60 and above, while 75% also had comorbidities, which confirms that the likelihood of death is higher in those with comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension.

There has also been no exponential growth in cases. “While we have not won the war, we have not lost it yet,” said Dr Noor Hisham.

He called for those with symptoms to inform the ministry, so that the proper actions can be taken to minimise the spread of the virus. He noted that, of the healthcare professionals that have been infected, not a single one was on duty in Covid-19 wards.

Instead, these are the general physicians who have patients come in with symptoms. He noted that the care of these healthcare professionals, along with the other patients at these locations, would be very much aided if those with symptoms informed the ministry so that proper steps can be taken.

When asked about the collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors, Dr Noor Hisham pointed to the private sector sharing their ventilators with the public healthcare system, allowing for sufficient ventilators for patients receiving treatment that need the equipment.

On behalf of the MoH, he also thanked the numerous industries that have made personal protective equipment (PPE) for front-liners, adding that the equipment is now sufficient, thanks to the many donations. He lauded the creativity and innovation of these industries in their fabrication of items such as shield masks using local materials, and noted that Malaysia is not dependent on the import of materials for such.

However, there are logistical issues in terms of distributing the PPE to hospitals, as there is a need to keep track of the rate of use at these hospitals. A higher usage would see efforts directed towards supplying those hospitals.

Dr Noor Hisham also believes that there are still several clusters to be detected from those coming back to Malaysia, and he called for those Malaysians to head to MoH facilities for screening, testing, and isolation to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. – April 8, 2020