All Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Patients Considered Covid-19 Positive Until Proven Otherwise

In his latest address to the nation over the current state of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia, Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah Noor has revealed that as many as 45 private general practitioners have already come down with Covid-19.

The numbers have proved worrying enough for Dr Noor Hisham to remind doctors to continue being wary of treating patients that bear similar symptoms to Covid-19, according to The Star.

At this point in time, healthcare workers have been told to be careful of not only dengue cases, but also pneumonia and SARI (severe acute respiratory infection) cases, as there have been instances of them treating patients without adequate protection.

“So even if it’s a runny nose you have to protect yourself. We are telling our doctors treating SARI patients that all SARI patients will be considered as Covid positive until proven otherwise.” he said.

As such, healthcare workers should take all the necessary precautions to protect themselves, and not wait upon testing results before taking action. The advice comes after a Covid-19 patient had initially been diagnosed with dengue fever on 16th March at a private clinic, before travelling across state lines to visit family and falling critically ill on 21st March.

Just days prior, a number of frontliners have also reportedly contracted Covid-19 at their own places of work, with the source of infection believed to be either from fellow colleagues or while treating infected patients. To date, over 275 Malaysian healthcare workers have tested positive for Covid-19.

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