MIRI – Hospitals in the districts of Sibu, Sarikei and Kanowit are running out of beds for Covid-19 patients due to the daily surge of new positive cases in the central Sarawak region.
Sarawak Assistant Housing and Local Government Minister Dr Annuar Rapaee said state authorities are converting hostels at youth camps, Christian training centres and education colleges into temporary wards.
These will be used to isolate, shelter and treat low-risk Covid-19 patients, and those whose conditions are not too serious.
This will enable main hospitals in the respective districts to focus on helping those Covid-19 patients whose conditions require attention, he said today in his updates to community groups.
Dr Annuar is also state assemblyman for Nangka near Kanowit town.
“The hospitals in Sibu, Kanowit and Sarikei have run out of beds and wards for Covid-19 patients,” he added.
“These main hospitals must give top priority to those Covid-19 patients who are at serious stages of infections.
“In Sibu, we are converting hostels in the Kemuyang Youth Camp, Methodist Centennial Centre, Laila Taib College and Malaysian Health Training Institute trainee dorms to house and treat patients not at serious infection stage.
“We are doing the same thing in Kanowit and Sarikei too,” he said.
Dr Annuar said the temporary facilities will have more than a thousand beds for use when new patients are admitted.
Sarawak is now witnessing a three-digit daily increment in new Covid-19 positive patients, with 191 new cases recorded yesterday.
Sibu is the worst-hit so far with 1,066 positive patients as of yesterday. – The Vibes, January 31, 2021
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