85 Sabah healthcare workers infected 10 days into Oct

 

COVID-19 | A total of 85 healthcare workers in Sabah have been infected by Covid-19 so far this month, revealed Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Comparatively, the number of healthcare workers infected in the state for the whole of September was 66.

During his daily press conference today, the health director-general also made a call for more healthcare volunteers to sign up to help the ministry in its fight against Covid-19.

In a statement after his press conference, the director-general said that since the pandemic began in March, 579 of the ministry's healthcare workers had been infected by the virus.

"Specifically, in Sabah, for the same period, 198 Health Ministry workers were infected by Covid-19 and in October alone, there is a record of 85 people (infected), compared to 66 people in September," he said.

Earlier today, Malaysiakini reported that one of the hospitals heavily affected by the virus was the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital (HQE2) in Sabah.

This is as 40 of the 66 nurses taking care of the hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were forced into quarantine.

Noor Hisham said two nurses, being the index case and a close contact, had tested positive for the virus. The source of infection was still being traced.

However, he said the hospital's ICU ward remains operational, but at a lower capacity, treating just six patients instead of eight.

"All of the (HQE2) ICU patients have been declared free of Covid-19," he said. 

Noor Hisham also sounded a call for more healthcare volunteers.

“Thank you to all healthcare workers as well as volunteers who have come together to help combat Covid-19 in Malaysia so far.

“The Health Ministry would like to urge again for more healthcare volunteers to help the ministry in handling the third wave of Covid-19," he said.

Volunteers can email the National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) at mobilisasi19@gmail.com and cprc@moh.gov.my.

This came as Sabah recorded 277 new cases today.

The armed forces, meanwhile, will help shuttle healthcare workers from the peninsula to Sabah as the crisis worsens.

Noor Hisham also said that since Oct 8, a total of 475 healthcare workers and public health officials had been sent to Sabah to assist with Covid-19 cases there. - Mkini