SHAH ALAM – The Selangor Health Department will increase the capacity of critical care or intensive care unit (ICU) beds to 200 for Covid-19 patients, in preparation for the possible sharp increase in Covid-19 cases in Selangor, compared with the 142 ICU beds currently available.
Its director, Datuk Dr Sha’ari Ngadiman, said that the move would be implemented by postponing elective surgery cases throughout the state to reduce dependence on ICU beds.
However, for non-Covid-19 cases that need to be treated immediately, the department will outsource to private facilities to ensure the ability to treat patients can continue.
Speaking at a special interview with Bernama and RTM here today, Dr Sha’ari said the move could reduce congestion in the ICUs, which have currently reached 92% capacity in Selangor hospitals.
“We welcome the announcement of the movement control order, which will be imposed in six districts in Selangor, because previous experience has shown that there will be a reduction in the number of road accidents, which will cause operating rooms to be less used and, indirectly, the ICUs as well,” he said.
Dr Sha’ari said the current spike in Covid-19 cases is largely contributed by cases of close contacts from family members of Covid-19 patients, which is at 90% infectivity rate, while cases originating from schools and the industry sector each amount to 5%.
The current number of Covid-19 patients in Categories 3 and above is higher in the state than previously recorded.
“This shows that the community’s compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) is very unsatisfactory, compared with factories where the majority now comply with the set SOPs,” he said, adding that all parties need to play their respective roles in reducing the risk of infection.
On another matter, Dr Sha’ari said that following the federal government’s announcement yesterday on the implementation of the early warning system, Hotspots Identification for Dynamic Engagement (HIDE) starting May 7, Selangor has identified 25 localities in its six districts, based on the number of cases recorded over two weeks.
“We are also planning, after the Aidilfitri celebration, for the vaccination exercise to be conducted through an outreach programme to at-risk groups in areas with high numbers of Covid-19 cases, so that they are spared from complications if infected with Covid-19,” he said.
Selangor yesterday reported the highest number of new daily cases compared with other states with 675 infections, or 21.6% of the national total of 3,120 cases. – Bernama, May 5, 2021
