Global Courant 2023-05-03 16:35:34
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia is facing a new wave of Covid-19 cases, with test kits being rounded up, more people being hospitalized and experts advising the public to avoid crowded places.
Just a few months ago, Covid-19 test kits were readily available, but some pharmacies in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor are now running out as cases continue to rise following the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations.
A patient told The Straits Times she contacted a number of pharmacies to find test kits and an oximeter, only to be told they were out of stock.
Data from the Ministry of Health shows that cases rose 0.6 percent to 9,780 in the 14 days to April 29, and hospitalizations rose 9.2 percent to 3,381. Daily confirmed cases on April 29 totaled 1,050. The number of deaths from Covid-19 has increased by 25 percent.
Experts believe there may be an under-reporting of cases. Those who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms may not notify authorities through the MySejahtera tracking app.
Government hospitals report a current occupancy rate of 70.3 percent, compared to 50 percent on April 22. Beds in intensive care units are occupied for 67 percent. Several private hospitals, including Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Prince Court Medical Center, were full on Wednesday and no longer accepting Covid-19 patients.
The Health Ministry tweeted a reminder on Wednesday that those who test positive must self-quarantine at home for seven days. An early release is possible with a negative test under the supervision of a doctor from the fourth day of infection.
Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Associate Professor of Virology Chee Hui Yee told ST that Malaysia is currently facing another wave of the pandemic due to the holiday season. April’s Hari Raya celebrations were the first since Malaysia lifted, with few exceptions, its mask mandate in September 2022, with many traveling back to their hometowns or going on holiday.
While there is no major increase in serious cases and the “situation is manageable”, she advised the public to “prepare for the worst”. “Get tested if you have symptoms and quarantine if you have tested positive, wear a mask if you have symptoms, do not interact with others and do not go to crowded places.”
She added that some experts had suggested self-testing before returning to school after the Hari Raya celebrations, which could have contributed to the shortage of test kits.
Professor Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud, chair of the government’s Covid-19 Epidemiological Analysis and Strategies Task Force, said the rate of Covid-19 tests coming back positive is “very high”, based on data on tests taken on April 22 executed.
“There were 562 cases out of 2,503 tests conducted that day alone. That resembles a test positivity rate of 22.4 percent. I suspect the 562 cases is a gross underestimate,” he told ST.
Prof Awang added that the most recent data on new cases was from April 29, but there was no corresponding test data. The Ministry of Health only releases data once a week, but while there appears to be data on new infections, there has been no data on tests since April 22.
“So I wonder what the positivity rate of the tests is like and how much we underestimate the number of new infections,” said Prof. Awang.
The country faced a deadly wave in mid-2021 fueled by the Delta variant of the coronavirus that left many hospitals without oxygen supplies and beds. In the month of August of that year, there were 632,982 infections, with more than 20,000 cases per day. The country reported 7,640 Covid-19-related deaths in the same month, nearly double the 3,854 recorded in July.
