Health facilities in Kelantan reach critical level
KOTA BARU: The capacity of the Covid-19 low-risk quarantine and treatment centres (PKRCs) and hospital facilities in Kelantan has reached a critical level due to the rising number of daily cases.
Local government, housing and health committee chairman Dr Izani Husin said the six existing PKRCs in the state could not accommodate the rising number of Covid19 patients.
“The intensive care units in hospitals have also reached almost 100% capacity, causing patients to be placed in regular wards. Sixty ventilators have been reduced to only five units,” he said at a press conference after the special meeting of the state security council committee here yesterday.
Besides that, Dr Izani said more than 2,000 Covid-19 patients in Kelantan were placed under house isolation order (HIO) due to insufficient beds at the PKRCs.
“Those who were ordered to undergo HIO are placed at home, so the infectivity rate (Rt) is also higher, which is one in three infections.
“For example, 2,000 patients could spread 6,000 to 10,000 infections,” he said, adding that to resolve the issue, the state government had agreed to open a field hospital at the Padang Perdana site, in addition to one PKRC at the Kelantan Trade Centre that could accommodate 1,000 patients. “When we have to open a field hospital, it shows that the situation in Kelantan is becoming more critical. The state government also had to request additional manpower from the Health Ministry,” he said.
On the spread of the South African variant B.1.351 which was also detected in Kelantan, Dr Izani said it was believed to be due to interstate travel from a wedding in Kuala Lumpur.