267 Medical Staff in Malaysia Test Positive For Covid-19 With 73% Infected Outside The Hospital

The Ministry of Health has just reported that a total of 267 medical staff under the ministry have been infected by Covid-19. Out of this number, 73% have been infected outside of the hospital, while only 19% – which is 50 of them – have been infected in the hospital.

According to China Press, health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said in his daily press conference that medical staff who were infected in the hospital contracted the disease from patients who did not report their travel history.

He noted that medical staff working in the intensive care unit wards were not infected as they were wearing personal protective equipment.

However, Dr Hisham also noted that infections could’ve happened in the pantry.

“One of the possibilities we noticed is that when they enter the pantry to rest, the pantry space is narrow and many people enter it at the same time, causing the space to be crowded. So, there may be a spread there,” he said.

“Two to three of the 50 people infected in hospitals may be infected in the pantry, therefore, we are ensuring that the pantry is always cleaned and disinfected.”

Dr Hisham then urges all parties in the hospital to avoid crowded spaces such as the pantry.