Forensics personnel transfer the body of a recently deceased Covid-19 patient out of the morgue at the Penang General Hospital, August 24, 2021. – Malay Mail photo
KUALA LUMPUR (March 3): Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today said that 91 per cent of brought-in-dead (BID) cases in the country were not aware they had contracted Covid-19 until their last breath.
In a press conference this afternoon, he said in most of cases, family members of the deceased only found out the status of their loved ones after a post-mortem had been conducted.
He said this was according to the ministry’s data that was collected in February.
“We have analysed the data from February 5 until February 21, out of 113 BID cases that we analysed, we found out that 91 per cent of the cases were not aware that they had contracted the virus.”
He advised people with elderly parents or family members who experience symptoms like high fever and constant cough to seek immediate help from the nearest health facility.
“Through the survey that we conducted, it was found out that more than 50 per cent family members of those who died from Covid-19 assumed their relatives’ symptoms were mild.
“They did not immediately refer to any health facility and when it was detected, it’s already too late,” he added.
Khairy also sought to clarify the perception that Covid-19 fatalities were on the uptrend in the country.
He explained that the increasing rate does not happen overnight as there are cases that require further investigation.
“As mentioned a moment ago, a single death report is within 72 hours and for cases that require further investigation in the field, for example post-mortem studies, laboratory tests and others.
“It can take up to four to six weeks to be reported and announced,” he said.
The Health Ministry announced its latest statistics this morning. Its records showed 115 deaths in the last 24 hours, which marks the highest rate recorded in a single day since the arrival of the highly transmissible Omicron variant last year.
Malaysia’s cumulative fatalities currently stand at 32,492.
The last time Malaysia recorded a three-figure death rate due to Covid-19 was on October 12 last year.
Khairy said that out of 115 deaths announced today, 62 deaths or 54 per cent were announced within the last 72 hours while the remaining 53 deaths or 46 per cent were more than 72 hours.
Yesterday, the country recorded 27,500 Covid-19 cases, which brings the total cumulative cases since the start of the pandemic to 3,496,090. – Malay Mail