JOHOR BARU, April 11 — The Health Ministry will be increasing the number of new Covid-19 screening laboratories in Johor to curb the spread of the disease in the state.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said the laboratories are in addition to the existing laboratory facilities in the state to carry out Covid-19 detection test.

So far, Johor has two Covid-19 laboratories at Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) and the Public Health Laboratory in Johor Bahru.

“To expand the facilities, we are prepared to set up fast track laboratories apart from cooperating with private laboratories to conduct screenings and tests so that we could make more accurate and faster decisions,” he told a media conference after a working visit to the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI), here today.

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The occupancy rate of government hospital beds at gazetted Covid-19 treatment hospitals in Johor, is currently at 52 per cent.

The three gazetted Covid-19 hospitals in the state are HSA, Permai Hospital and Enche’ Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital in Kluang, and they now have a combined capacity of 666 beds, he said.

In another development, Dr Adham said since Singapore implemented the Covid-19 circuit breaker measure on April 7, the number of Malaysian workers returning from the republic through two checkpoints in the state had shown a falling trend.

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“During the first phase of MCO, in Malaysia, it was estimated 1,400 Malaysians returned through BSI daily and about 700 returned via the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) in Gelang Patah, Iskandar Puteri.

“On entering the second phase, the total rose to 2,000 people via BSI and 1,000 (KSAB) but it showed a falling trend after Singapore imposed the circuit breaker measure,” he said. — Bernama