DG shares how early detection stopped the asymptomatic from spreading Covid-19

CORONAVIRUS | Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today shared the full recovery of 41 students from Covid-19 and highlighted the crucial early action taken by the ministry that helped prevent the spread of the coronavirus as many of them showed no symptoms throughout the infection.

Noor Hisham said the 41 students of Miftahul Ulum madrasa, Sri Petaling, aged between 14 and 29, had been under quarantine at the Social Institute of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur and initial Covid-19 tests in the middle of March and on March 24 had returned negative.

He said it was not until a third test was administered on them on March 30 that it returned positive. The results came back on April 2 and they were subsequently transferred to Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for treatment.

"In terms of controlling Covid-19, the early quarantine process, and the isolation in the ward after all 41 students were found to be positive, were crucial.

"In this case, all 41 students did not show any symptoms and could have unknowingly infected or spread Covid-19 to their surrounding communities.

"Therefore, the example of the 41 tahfiz students shows that the process of tracing, quarantining, isolation and early treatment are the most appropriate measures in helping the recovery process, stemming the spread and breaking the chain of Covid-19 infection," he said in a Facebook post.

Noor Hisham (photo) said only one student showed symptoms of coughing on April 1 and was treated with hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug and that can also prevent further inflammation of the lungs caused by Covid-19.

He said the students may have contracted the coronavirus while attending the religious gathering at Sri Petaling in late February or caught the virus from infected persons in their surroundings shortly after the event.

Likewise, he said the early treatment and their young age also meant that they had a high chance of recovery.

Therefore, he said, it is very important that Covid-19 patients are treated while they are still at the first to the third stage.

The early stages of the virus infection are stage one where a patient tests positive but does not show any symptoms and stage two when a person tests positive but only shows mild symptoms.

Those at stage three develop some form of pneumonia while those at stage four are already suffering breathing difficulties and in need of oxygen support.

The next stage, or stage five, are patients who can no longer breathe on their own and have to be intubated and put on ventilators.

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- Mkini