KUALA LUMPUR: COVID-19 cases recorded in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur rose in the first week of July (July 1 to 7) compared to the previous week (June 24 to 30), according to Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

In a media statement today, he said Selangor accounted for 42.02 per cent of the all cases in the first week of July compared to 38.33 per cent of the cases the week before, while the percentage of cases in Kuala Lumpur jumped to 13.01 per cent from the previous 12.29 per cent in the same period.

The total number of cases recorded in the first week of July also increased to 47,811 compared to 40,973 in the last week of June.

He said with the enforcement of the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) in 34 sub-districts in Selangor and 14 localities in Kuala Lumpur for 14 days from July 3 to 16, public health activities could be conducted through targeted screenings.

"Close contact tracing and health screenings, especially on symptomatic individuals, have been conducted more rigorously to detect COVID-19 cases early. This will enable immediate isolation to be done to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

"In addition, the Health Ministry also conducted screenings on 10 per cent of residents in the EMCO areas and priority has been given to high-risk individuals. Therefore, the number of daily COVID-19 cases is expected to rise following the implementation of these public health activities," he said.

He said the EMCO enforced was based on the risk assessment of the area and targeted screenings showed a drastic rise in areas under the EMCO.

He also announced a number of steps taken to tackle the critical situation, including continuing outsourcing activities at hospitals and private labs to increase the authorities' capacity to combat the disease. The decision was made during the National Security Council's special meeting today chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Dr Noor Hisham said the decision included approving allocation for the outsourcing of medical services to reduce patients' waiting time, in particular for those who require surgery or critical procedures (urgent/semi-urgent) like heart and cancer treatments.

"This will provide more space in hospitals to tackle COVID-19 cases that require admission, and at the same time ensure the continuity of treatment for non-COVID-19 cases," he said.

He said the government spent RM11 million in 2020 on medical services outsourcing activities, involving 31 private hospitals with 3,741 successful surgeries and procedures, and for this year, an allocation of RM39,087,983 will be distributed to 13 states and the Federal Territories for the same purpose. Thus far, 72 private hospitals are involved in these activities.

"Following the drastic rise in cases in the Klang Valley, the Kuala Lumpur Hospital has increased outsourcing activities to nearby private hospitals," he added.

Dr Noor Hisham said 25 patients were sent to private hospitals with an estimated four patients being sent daily since July 6.

He said 993 patients are expected to be sent to receive treatment in private hospitals in a six-month period, involving an allocation of RM18 million.

He also said that partnerships with the Defence Ministry, the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, public and private universities as well as accredited private labs have been forged to increase COVID-19 testing capacity.

He said currently, the daily capacity for RT-PCR tests for all labs involved is 116,803 tests.

-- BERNAMA