Health Dept confirms 50 staff at Klang hospital infected, source unknown

 

Covid-19 | The Selangor Health Department has confirmed that 50 staff members and an undisclosed number of patients at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR), Klang have tested positive for Covid-19.

Malaysiakini earlier reported that at least 40 staff members and 50 in-patients at the hospital were infected with the virus.

Selangor Health Department (JKNS) director Dr Sha'ari Ngadiman said the source of the infection is still unknown but the situation is under control.

"Investigations by JKNS and HTAR have yet to find the source of the infection to healthcare workers, and whether the infections happened during contact with patients before they were admitted or (after admission) while the infection was within the 14 day incubation period," he said.

"Treatment of patients at HTAR continues and the situation is under control," he said in a statement, adding that all close contacts are under home quarantine.

Health Ministry officials attended a briefing on the outbreak at HTAR at the hospital this morning.  

Dr Sha'ari Ngadiman

Crowded wards

It is learnt that other hospitals across Selangor have also discovered Covid-19 cases among patients in general wards, who had earlier tested negative upon admission.

However, it is unclear if the infection occurred at the hospital or if the patients were already infected upon admission, but the virus was in the incubation period at the time of admission.

Hospitals near HTAR like Hospital Shah Alam, Hospital Tanjung Karang and Hospital Banting have not experienced similar outbreaks as HTAR, sources said.

It is speculated that the infections at HTAR might have happened in lifts or crowded wards.

HTAR has 1,094 beds and receives the most number of patients among all public hospitals in Selangor, not including Universiti Malaya Medical Centre.

Last year, the government allocated funds to HTAR to upgrade its wards and equipment.

This is not the first time HTAR has experienced a spread of Covid-19 infections at the hospital.

In March, it was reported that several infections had occurred at HTAR, prompting the hospital to limit visiting hours and bar children under 12, who are not patients, from entering.

Such measures are now in place in all public hospitals to curb potential Covid-19 infection.

Klang is worst hit

Klang is currently the worst-hit district nationwide, driven mostly by clusters within factories in industrial areas. The district recorded 3,512 cases in the past 14 days.

However, the cases are no longer contained among workers, with infections detected among communities living near the factories.

This has prompted the Selangor government to roll out free testing to residents living around the factories in Jalan Teratai, Meru.

The Teratai cluster, which is mostly made up of glove manufacturing giant Top Glove's facilities, has more than 5,600 cases to date.

Malaysiakini earlier reported infections among staff at Hospital Queen Elizabeth II in Kota Kinabalu, Hospital Sentosa in Kuching and Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had said the outbreaks at hospitals earlier were not related to Covid-19 wards and were traced to infected hospital staff who had contact with their colleagues at social events or while sharing facilities like hospital pantries.

This week, a nurse from HUSM died after being infected with Covid-19. - Mkini