30 per cent of hospital beds for COVID-19 despite lower infection rate - Health DG

The Health Ministry (MOH) has set aside 30 per cent of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients although the number of coronavirus cases has continued to drop, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said with the lower infection rate, the beds in wards and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) would be gradually occupied by more non-COVID-19 patients but subject to a certain number.

"The utilisation of COVID-19 ward in hospitals is currently at less than 15 per cent, and we now have seven COVID-19 hospitals and 33 hybrid hospitals in use.

"So, we start with 30 per cent first although we are not using these beds; and we will increase (number of non-COVID-19 patients) and monitor (the situation)," he told a daily news conference on COVID-19 at MOH here today.

He said the ministry might reduce the number of COVID-19 personnel at hospitals by moving them between states.

"There are staff who have been deployed from other states to Selangor and Kuala Lumpur previously, so now we might reduce our staff. If there is a need, we may move them from other states," he said.

Asked on the new cluster in Gombak, Dr Noor Hisham said a staffer at the Gombak district police headquarters had been tested positive for COVID-19 during scheduled screening.

The cluster was identified after five positive cases were detected in that location, he said.

-- BERNAMA