GEORGE TOWN – For the first time since World War II, Penang Hospital will have a field hospital housing 100 beds to help the state weather its Covid-19 surge.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the field hospital will be set up soon, and that another 200 frontliners will be deployed to Penang, which has seen an average of 2,000 infections daily over the last few days.
Health authorities are bracing for another surge in cases despite the state’s high vaccination rate.
As of yesterday, based on a tabulation that began in March, Penang had recorded 91,493 cases with 850 deaths, with 12,742 infections still active.
“We will aid Penang, and we have also appointed (Bukit Mertajam MP) Steven Sim as a federal liaison officer to help iron out coordination needs between the state and federal levels,” said Khairy.
“Furthermore, (Chief Minister) Chow (Kon Yeow) and I have our own chat access to discuss how best to handle the surge.”
The ministry will provide additional beds at Kepala Batas Hospital and open more Covid-19 low-risk quarantine and treatment centres (PKRCs) throughout the state, which currently has only two such facilities, he added.
Khairy said the ministry wants Covid-19 patients in Categories 1 and 2 to be placed at the existing PKRCs to ensure they do not breach isolation rules, and so that medical staff can promptly attend to those whose health sees a rapid deterioration.
By reducing the number of those under home quarantine, he said, the ministry hopes to bring down brought-in-dead cases.
It will also pay more attention to “happy hypoxia” cases, where Covid-19 patients who are mostly young and asymptomatic suddenly develop breathing difficulties – and in some instances, die.
Following his work and familiarisation visit to Penang today, Khairy said national call centre responders will be trained to guide the public on detecting early signs of hypoxia.
He called for the distribution of more oximeters for use by coronavirus patients under home quarantine so that they can monitor their blood oxygen levels.
Earlier, the minister held a meeting with Chow that was also attended by excos Phee Boon Poh and Dr Norlela Ariffin, as well as Sim and Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng.
It is learnt that Dr Norlela left the meeting shortly after being notified that she may have had close contact with a Covid-19 patient, and is now in self-isolation. – The Vibes, September 11, 2021
