Covid-19 - come in early for treatment for better survival chances, says Health DG

Those with symptoms of Covid-19 including difficulty in breathing should visit a hospital early for better chances of survival, said director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He told a press conference in Putrajaya today that one of the main reasons for the 15 deaths in Malaysia linked to the virus was due to the victims coming for treatment when they were already in the late stages of the illness.

According to Noor Hisham (above), there were five stages of Covid-19 infection with those in Stage 3 developing some form of pneumonia while those in Stage 4 were those already suffering breathing difficulty and in need of oxygen support.

The next stage, or Stage 5, were patients who could no longer breathe well and had to be intubated and put on ventilators.

"Most came to us at Stage 3, when they already have difficulty in breathing. For example, the last patient (who died) came to us after having symptoms of breathing difficulties over the past three days and in need of oxygen supplement.

"This is one of the contributions to fatality, because of delayed presentation to hospital," he said.

[More to follow] - Mkini