SERDANG: The number of beds for categories three and four COVID-19 patients will be increased in Hall A of the COVID-19 Integrated Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRC) 2.0 at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS).

The centre's director, Dr Shahabuddin Ibrahim said plans were being made to add 800 more single beds specifically for treating critical category cases in the hall to reduce overcrowding of COVID-19 patients, especially in the Sungai Buloh Hospital and Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

He said Hall A could only accommodate 2,960 bunk beds to increase capacity for treatment, but for critical patients, only single beds would be used.

"When we use the single beds, the capacity will be reduced but we can accommodate patients from more serious categories," he told reporters after attending a Ramadan Barakah ceremony officiated by Ministry of Communications and Multimedia secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohammad Mentek here today.

Category three COVID-19 patients are positive cases with pneumonia while category four patients are positive cases with pneumonia and requiring oxygen.

Dr Shahabuddin said that, so far, the PKRC had treated over 78,000 COVID-19 patients, with 2,400 still undergoing treatment.

He said a total of 1,200 frontliners had been vaccinated at the facility, which is also the main Vaccine Dispensing Centre (PPV) in the Klang Valley.

Malaysia today recorded 2,776 new COVID-19 cases as well as 13 fatalities, taking the total infections to 395,718.

-- BERNAMA