KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Health (MoH) confirmed four new Covid-19 coronavirus cases in Malaysia today, bringing the tally of infections to 29.
In a statement, its director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that all the new cases are Malaysians between the ages of 20 and 52.
They all tested positive on Feb 29.
Cases 26, 28 and 29 are currently receiving treatment at the Sungai Buloh Hospital’s isolation ward; while case 27 is at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital’s isolation ward.
Dr Noor Hisham said case 26 is a 52-year-old man who travelled to Shanghai in mid-January.
“He developed fever and a sore throat on Feb 27, and sought outpatient treatment at a private hospital on the same day.
“He was confirmed positive yesterday, and is receiving treatment at the Sungai Buloh Hospital’s isolation ward. Investigation into the cause of infection and detection of close contacts are underway,” he said.
Case 27 is a 20-year-old trainee nurse at a private hospital where case 24 sought treatment.
“She was identified as one of several individuals who had close contact with an infected 41-year-old Japanese woman. She handled case 24 without personal protective equipment on Feb 21 and Feb 22.
“She tested positive on Feb 29 and has been admitted to Kuala Lumpur Hospital’s isolation ward for further treatment and observation,” Dr Noor Hisham said.
Case 28, a 45-year-old Malaysian man, is the colleague of case 25, a 54-year-old Italian man. The duo and another co-worker had travelled to Milan, Italy between Feb 15 and 21.
“He was detected when the ministry established who had close contacts with case 25, and he was found to be showing symptoms since Feb 26.
“His results came back positive on Saturday, and he is now at the Sungai Buloh Hospital’s isolation ward for further treatment.”
Dr Noor Hisham said case 29 is a 35-year-old woman who had shared a double room with Case 24 on Feb 21.
“At the time, Case 24 had yet to be confirmed with Covid-19. Hence, (Case 29) was allowed to go home on Feb 25. However, she developed fever and started coughing on Feb 27.
“She did not get treatment for the sickness… she was detected when district health officers conducted close contact identification of Case 24. She tested positive on Feb 29 and is now receiving treatment at Sungai Buloh Hospital’s isolation ward,” he said.
As of noon on Sunday, 29 Covid-19 cases have been reported in Malaysia.
Of the number, 15 are Chinese, 11 are Malaysian, one is American, one is Italian and one is Japanese. Seven of them are still receiving treatment.
Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said meetings on the handling of Covid-19 patients and suspected cases at private hospitals and clinics were conducted at a national level today.
He said this was to enhance the knowledge of private medical practitioners on the latest developments on the outbreak domestically and internationally.
He said at the same time, it was conducted to ensure private medical practitioners’ preparedness and response towards unprecedented scenarios.
Dr Noor Hisham also pointed out that private medical facilities such as hospitals, clinics and laboratories are playing a crucial role in being prepared at the maximum level in handling the pandemic.
“Hence, the engagement sessions were to channel the correct information to all involved parties,” he added.
He reminded all health facilities to constantly implement optimum-level infection prevention and control measures in facing the outbreak, adding that mechanisms for early detection and case isolation also need to be strengthened.