KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — The emergence of new Covid-19 variants is complicating the recovery of patients with the disease and placing additional stress on the healthcare system, especially in intensive care units (ICU).
Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the number of Covid-19 patients undergoing treatment in the ICU has not been declining because the new variants are causing more severe symptoms at a faster rate of deterioration.
“This causes more patients needing oxygen and respiratory aid, especially among those who are vulnerable such as senior citizens, as well as patients suffering from other pre-existing comorbidities.
“The use of ICU capacity of more than 100 per cent is concerning as patients requiring critical care cannot be accommodated in the ICU anymore,” he said in a statement today.
Dr Noor Hisham added that the use of beds that exceed this capacity is also due to the need for a longer recovery period for ICU patients due to the serious complications of a Covid-19 infection.
“On average, the duration of treatment in the ICU for those in Category 4 in between 14 days to 16 days, while for Category 5 patients, it is between 19 to 26 days,” he said.
He said that the Health Ministry has prepared for the situation, adding that it has increased the capacity of beds to accommodate Covid-19 patients, with 11,598 beds being added to hospitals and 31,861 beds for quarantine centres.
He said that the Ministry has also upgraded the use of repurposed beds in regular wards to Covid-19 critical care patient beds, adding that it is collaborating with teaching hospitals to use their facilities to treat Covid-19 patients.
“We are also collaborating with the Malaysian Armed Forces in the establishment of field hospitals. To date, six such hospitals have been built.
“We are also collaborating with 112 private hospitals especially in the Klang Valley for the treatment of Covid-19 patients, which involves a total of 1,274 common ward beds and 128 ICU beds,” he said.
