The Malaysian Insight

THE hospital bed utilisation rate for Covid-19 increased by 3% in the week ended November 20 compared to the previous week, director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

The occupancy rate of non-intensive care unit (ICU) beds rose by 2% to 5,751 while the uptake for ICU beds increased by 3% to 1,100.

Similarly, 8,141 of the 21,908 beds at low-risk quarantine centres were taken up, indicating a 3% increase compared to the previous week.

“The increase is in tandem with the increase in active cases,” Noor Hisham said in a statement.

As at the end of the week under review, there were 69,485 active cases, which is a 6% increase from the previous week.

“The average of active cases, which was consistently on a downtrend for 10 weeks, is now on the rise, five weeks after inter-state travel was allowed,” he said.

“The impact of the increase in new and active cases in the last two weeks can be seen through the rise in admissions to healthcare facilities, especially among categories 3 to 5 patients.”

He said there has been an increase in cases in categories 3, 4 and 5, especially among those aged 40 and above.

He cautioned that the government’s efforts to revitalise the economy will be delayed if the number of cases among those in the age group keep going up in the coming weeks.

Although most people in that age group have completed their vaccination since the middle of last year, latest studies suggest waning efficacy of the vaccine after a few months.

“Therefore, the Ministry of Health is urging individuals who got their appointments for Covid-19 booster shots to receive their jabs,” Noor Hisham said. – November 22, 2021.