Covid-19 red alert in Penang as ICUs fill up

GEORGE TOWN – The Covid-19 wards in Penang have been filling up rapidly after a slight surge of cases was reported over the past week.

A doctor in a Covid-19 intensive care unit (ICU) told The Vibes that ICU beds on the island have reached maximum capacity. General wards for coronavirus patients have also been receiving many incoming patients in the past five days.

Because most Covid-19 cases do not exhibit many symptoms and still can progress to later stages, he advised the public to conduct RTK-Ag self-tests more often.

Those who visit elderly people at nursing and old folks’ homes are advised to conduct the test first.

When contacted, Penang health exco Dr Norlela Ariffin said that though ICUs are at maximum capacity, the situation is nowhere near what it was in August and September this year.

She said that the Penang Hospital director informed her that the present situation is due to the freeing up of more beds to accommodate patients with other diseases. 

Patients waiting to be treated for other health issues will not have to wait long to get their treatments, she said.

Norlela said many beds have been converted to non-Covid-19 beds after infections significantly reduced, and freeing up the wards allows for manpower and facilities to run at optimum levels.

Penang recorded 243 fresh Covid-19 cases on Sunday. From that total, 34 were admitted, and another nine wheeled into ICUs. 

With Malaysians travelling more widely within the country during the Christmas holidays, Norlela said she hopes people will do self-testing more often.

She said that if they are feeling under the weather, they should take PCR tests because variants such as Omicron and Delta are not showing signs similar to before.

“I know people who were working or studying from home who got infected and escalated to stage five. In the end, we traced the infection and found that it was from a family member who entered the home.

“That is why other than testing, I urge homes, restaurants and workspaces to have better ventilation.

“Though people practice the correct standard operating procedures when they are out, people take off their masks when they eat in poorly ventilated places, and that is when air droplets with the airborne virus can travel,” she said. – The Vibes, December 14, 2021