Continue to comply with SOPs, help us 'liberate' country from COVID-19 -Frontliner

ALOR SETAR: Stepping foot in a ward full of COVID-19 patients always makes Mimi Yusmiza Yahya feel as if she is taking up arms to defend the country from an unseen enemy.

"It indeed makes me feel anxious. We are dealing with COVID-19 patients every day and most worryingly, we may be carrying the deadly virus and unknowingly spreading it to other family members at home.

"However, for the sake of our duty and responsibility, we must continue the fight (against the pandemic) and leave the rest to Allah," the chief nurse of the Kuala Nerang Hospital (HKN) COVID-19 Ward told Bernama here.

The 40-year-old woman described her ongoing fight against COVID-19 as not an easy struggle and it required the support of all parties especially members of the public.

"Help us 'liberate' our country from the pandemic. It is vital for all of us to continue to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) because COVID-19 does not discriminate.

"Have mercy on us as frontliners who have been working tirelessly in the battle against this invisible enemy. This tiredness will only disappear when we see a decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases from day to day," she said.

Mimi Yusmiza also expressed gratitude to all her fellow colleagues who according to her always have each other's back as well as for the strong support from her family members which had motivated her to keep going.

Meanwhile, HKN director Dr Muhammad Syauqi Abdul Kadir said as a full-fledge COVID-19 hospital, HKN was providing treatment to category three to five patients from all over Kedah.

He said although it posed a big challenge for staff of all levels, they accepted the responsibilty and always remained steadfast in discharging their duties.

"Despite learning the knowledge and skills in such a short period, we strive to always provide treatment to COVID-19 patients with utmost commitment and dedication. It's extremely tiring but that's normal when you are battling in a war," he said.

Kedah is among the states that logged high number of COVID-19 cases and has been recording daily figures at four digits since late last month.

Among the causes of the spike in COVID-19 cases in Kedah was the virus was already in the community, said State Health Department director Dr Othman Warijo.

"The majority of new cases in Kedah are detected from close contact screening, namely at around 60 per cent, symptomatic screening (20 per cent) and self-screening (10 per cent).

"The existence of the Delta variant with higher infectivity rate has also contributed to the rapid spread of the virus in Kedah," he said adding that the situation worsened when the SOPs continued to be ignored by certain quarters.

-- BERNAMA