Another healthy Malaysian under 40 dies of Covid-19

 

A third Malaysian under 40 years of age who did not suffer from any other illnesses has died of Covid-19 this year.

This is according to the list of Covid-19 deaths released by the Health Ministry.

Although it is very rare for those without other illnesses to succumb to the infection, more and more Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia are involving those below the age of 40.

The first of such cases this year was announced on Jan 17, involving a 32-year-old woman who was brought in already dead to Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah in Klang.

She was believed to have contracted the virus at a factory where she worked, her family said.

They said she was waiting to be fetched to the hospital but died at home.

The Health Ministry said she did not suffer from any other illnesses.

The second case, announced on Jan 28, involved a 22-year-old man who died in Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

The third, announced today, was a 31-year-old man who was declared dead on arrival at Hospital Alor Gajah, Malacca.

He was also reported to not have suffered from any other illnesses.

A Flourish chart

Many more under 40 dying of Covid-19 in third wave

Deaths of those aged under 40, especially those without any comorbidities, are rare.

Most deaths involve those aged 60 and above, who mostly suffer from chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and kidney disease.

However, it appears that many more under 40 are dying of Covid-19 in the third wave, which started on Sept 20.

Most of the younger patients dying of Covid-19 also suffered from other illnesses.

Today, two others among those listed to have died of Covid-19 were aged under 40, but both suffered from chronic diseases including diabetes and hypertension.

From Oct 1, 2020 to Jan 31, 2021, 43 individuals aged under 40 died of Covid-19, most with comorbidities. This makes up about 6.89 percent of all cases.

Prior to this, particularly at the height of the Sabah outbreak, Covid-19 deaths under 40 listed to have no other illnesses were usually non-Malaysians. Many of them were brought in dead.

It is not immediately known why most non-Malaysians who were brought in dead were also reported to have no other illnesses.

Last month, 15 of the 289 Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia were individuals aged under 40 (5.19 percent).

Since the start of the pandemic in the country up to Jan 31, 2021, 6.71 percent of all Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia were individuals aged under 40.

In contrast, more than 20.1 percent of deaths in Indonesia were individuals aged 45 and below.

So far, only 0.4 percent of those infected with Covid-19 in Malaysia have died, while 78.4 percent have recovered. The remaining 21.2 percent are in hospitals or quarantined at home.

307 patients are currently in the intensive care unit of which 141 are ventilated. - Mkini