The Malaysian Insight

THE Delta variant and lack of proper care with hospitals bursting at the seams are among reasons why the Covid-19 death toll is rising, doctors said.

The high percentage of those who have yet to be vaccinated is also contributing to virus deaths, which have passed the 8,500 mark.

More than 700 of these 8,254 deaths reported in the first seven months of this year were dead-on-arrival cases, believed to have been caused by the highly infectious and dangerous Delta variant.

Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital emergency physician Associate Professor Dr Tan Toh Leong said the Delta variant is one of the reasons for the recent spike in deaths.

Tan, who treats Covid-19 patients daily, said some of the symptoms of the variants include diarrhoea and sore throat, and as the infection progresses, it could lead to shortness of breath.

However, he said, people will not usually get a swab test done if they experience diarrhoea as they are under the impression it may not be linked to Covid-19, unlike the usual cough and fever symptoms.

He said some may be still coming into contact with people as they are unaware that they are infected, adding that the Delta variant could spread within 15 seconds.

Tan said most of the patients who are intubated and have succumbed to Covid-19 are unvaccinated. They belong in the age bracket of 30 to 50 years’ old.

Vaccinations have yet to be completed for this age group, as they are only supposed to get inoculated under phase three of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.

He added that genetic composition is another factor.

To prevent severe infections, Tan also advised people to not go overboard with their exercise and rest more as this will help repair the immune system, reduce the mental stress and maintain the hormonal balances.

He said people should not restrict their diets, get enough sleep and ensure they have a good nutrition intake to have optimum immunity.

Malaysia recorded another 174 deaths yesterday, bringing the total number of fatalities since the start of the pandemic to 8,725.

Doctors said another reason for the high number of deaths was the high number of people who have yet to be vaccinated.

Latest data showed that 6.1 million, or 39.3% of the population have had two shots of the vaccine and 12.8 million, or 39.3% of the population, have received one dose.

Malaysian Public Health Physicians’ Association president Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said the number of those not vaccinated is still very high as those who have completed the two-dose schedule only make up about less than 30% of the population.

Zainal said a lot of people out there are still “vulnerable to Covid-19 infection.”

“Two to three weeks are needed for the vaccine to work and be effective against Covid-19 and even after vaccination, a proportion of people still can get infected,” he said.

Virologist Dr Chee Hui Yee from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Universiti Putra Malaysia said vaccination rates need to pick up so that herd immunity can be attained.

“It needs 80% of the population to be vaccinated for the country to achieve herd immunity,” Chee said.

“Right now we have not even achieved 20% of the fully vaccinated population (two doses). If we only consider the adults then it is just 25%.

“It is on us, the citizens. (We) need to help the country to bring down deaths.

“Adhere to strict SOP (standard operating procedure), remind those that do not adhere to SOP and report to the authorities if we see someone violating the rules,” she added.

Chee said the lack of proper monitoring while under home quarantine and the incidence of happy hypoxia are other factors that could have led to the increasing number of deaths.

Happy hypoxia is a condition that occurs when the oxygen level in the blood falls to below 94%.

Another factor, she said, is the lack of proper care for patients as hospitals are bursting at the seams and facing a shortage of equipment and staff.

Most major hospitals in the Klang Valley are reporting full occupancy due to the increasing number of daily infections. Quarantine centres are also full with many patients complaining about the lack of oxygen and beds.

Zainal said patients in categories 1 and 2, who are asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic, are quickly deteriorating to categories 3 and 4, which require respiratory assistance, especially with the Delta variant.

He said many are still unaware what to do while under quarantine at home and some succumb due to the delay in getting medical treatment or critical care.

He added there are still a lot of cases in the community going undetected. This, he said, could be two to three times more than current levels.

“They are either asymptomatic, mild cases or undetected, including close contacts,” he said.

Zainal said vaccination has to be ramped up while movement-control orders must be enforced in targeted areas to curb the number of deaths.

He said the virtual Covid-19 assessment centres and home care while under quarantine, must be enhanced.

Director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said on Monday and Tuesday that the majority of new infections were diagnosed among those who were unvaccinated. – July 30, 2021.