Majority of brought-in-dead cases had undetected Covid-19

 

COVID-19 | Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has urged the public to take the elderly for medical attention as soon as they display any Covid-19 symptoms.

This comes after the ministry found that a majority of Covid-19 brought-in-dead (BID) cases were those who did not know they had been infected.

BID cases refer to patients who died before they could be subjected to medical care.

Such deaths have risen to consistent double-digits since mid-February, hitting a peak of 22 on Feb 18.

In a broadcast press conference today, Khairy disclosed that almost all of the 113 BID cases recorded between Feb 5 and 21 were undetected Covid-19 cases.

“We conducted an analysis from Feb 5 to 21. Our BID analysis showed that 91 percent of them (103 cases) did not know they had Covid-19.

“They only tested positive during the post-mortem after they had passed away,” he said.

According to an image he shared, Sabah reported the highest number of BID cases over the time period. All 36 cases had undetected Covid-19 infections.

Selangor ranked second with 25 BID cases, of which six had detected infections and 19 had undetected infections.

Jumlah BID mula meningkat semula. Daripada 113 BID yang dianalisa (5 - 21 Feb), hanya 9% mengetahui status jangkitan COVID-19. 91% tested positive selepas meninggal dunia.

Ramai waris kata mereka anggap sakit ringan sahaja. pic.twitter.com/FickqD3Pt6

— Khairy Jamaluddin (@Khairykj) March 3, 2022

Take symptoms seriously

Elaborating, Khairy said family members of more than half of BID cases were unaware Covid-19 had caused the death.

“Based on a survey we did, more than 50 percent of family members of those who died assumed they had minor issues and did not refer them to a health facility quickly.

“When they finally realised (it was Covid-19), it was already too late as they had died at home or outside a health facility,” he said.

The minister thus advised the public to take action as soon as Covid-19 symptoms surface, and not wait until they deteriorate.

“Especially those who have elderly parents or family members, if they have any symptoms - be it high fever or a persistent cough - please seek medical assistance immediately and bring them to a health facility as soon as possible,” he stressed.

Some 350k elderly Sinovac recipients unboosted

In that vein, Khairy shared that some 350,000 elderly Sinovac recipients had yet to come forward for a booster shot.

He warned that this exposed them to a higher risk of serious infection and death.

“It is very important for these 350,000 people to get a booster.

“Omicron is not as severe as Delta but for the elderly with comorbidities, this is not a mild disease. This is still a disease that can lead to death,” he said.

Last week, Khairy announced that those above 60 and Sinovac recipients had until March 31 to get a booster jab or risk losing their “fully vaccinated” status. - Mkini