Selangor braces for Covid-19 surge as ICU usage hits 80pct

COVID-19 | As intensive care units (ICU) in Selangor fill up, the state health department has begun preparing its hospitals and facilities to take in more Covid-19 cases.

In a statement today, Selangor health director Dr Sha'ari Ngadiman disclosed some concerning statistics.

In public hospitals across the state, 80 percent of ICU beds were in use. This translated to 203 filled beds.

Of this number, 42 percent (86 beds) were Covid-19 cases. The other 58 percent (117 beds) were non-Covid cases.

Meanwhile, at full Covid-19 facility Hospital Sungai Buloh, a staggering 96 percent of ICU beds were in use. This translated to 54 filled ICU beds.

“As for the rise in Covid-19 cases in the Hospital Sungai Buloh ICU, this is only because this is a full Covid-19 hospital and a referral hospital for all hospitals not only in Selangor but also in the Klang Valley.

“Therefore, the Hospital Sungai Buloh ICU also receives Covid-19 cases from other hospitals so that their ICUs can be used to accommodate more non-Covid cases,” he explained.

Covid-19 beds were similarly almost full.

Sha’ari said 92 percent of the 1,286 non-critical beds across Selangor were presently filled.

His explanation came after a doctor from Hospital Sungai Buloh warned the public about an impending Covid-19 wave in December.

In a widely shared tweet, the doctor said that normal and ICU wards at his hospital were saturated with Category 4 and Category 5 patients.

Last week, Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah alerted the public about “early signs” that cases may spike yet again.

Prepared for growing pandemic

Sha’ari noted that the Covid-19 R-naught number (reproduction number) in Selangor had risen to 1.05 as of Nov 17.

A number above 1.00 suggests the pandemic is growing.

“In the past two weeks, the number of daily new cases in Selangor have been between 1,300 to 1,500 cases.

“Of which 1.5 to two percent are cases in Category 3, Category 4 and Category 5,” he said.

Category 3 refers to Covid-19 patients with serious symptoms and lung infection.

Category 4 refers to Covid-19 patients with lung infection who need oxygen support.

Category 5 refers to Covid-19 patients with multiple organ failure who need ventilator support.

“As a precautionary measure for a situation where there is a rise in Covid-19 cases that need to be admitted into Hospital Sungai Buloh, we have improved the oxygen gas system at the National Leprosy Control Centre to accommodate Covid-19 cases. Which will also help reduce the burden on Hospital Sungai Buloh.

“Hospital Sungai Buloh will also be supported by other hospitals in the Klang Valley if there is a need, this will help meet needs for Covid-19 admission into hospitals or ICU,” Sha’ari said.