Covid-19: Allowing home quarantine has eased overcapacity in hospitals, says Health DG

PUTRAJAYA: Allowing low-risk Covid-19 patients to undergo home quarantine has helped ease overcapacity in hospitals, says the Health Ministry.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said bed occupancies at hospitals and Covid-19 quarantine centres have generally dropped in the first two weeks of the month.

“In the first week of February, 28,412 Covid-19 patients have been approved to undergo isolation at home.

“In the second week, 19,800 patients were under home quarantine.

“I believe this has helped ease overcapacity at our hospitals and quarantine centres.

“The bed occupancy for Covid-19 patients at hospitals has dropped to 47%. At quarantine centres, it has dropped to 37%.

“Occupancy at intensive care units is now 55%. At one time, it was at 80% to 90%.

“Now, I think we are able to manage our facilities better, and it can be enhanced from time to time, ” Dr Noor Hisham said at the ministry’s Covid-19 press conference here on Tuesday (Feb 16).

Under the observation of the ministry’s Covid-19 Assessment Centres (CAC), patients who are under category 1 and category 2 and are asymptomatic can undergo quarantine at their homes.

The CAC will also assess if a patient’s living conditions are suitable for home quarantine.

Active cases in the country continued to decline, down from 47,135 on Monday (Feb 15) to 44,129 on Tuesday.

Of that total, 253 are currently in ICU, with 118 on ventilator support.

Earlier, Dr Noor Hisham announced 5,718 Covid-19 patients have been discharged on Tuesday -- a new record for recoveries in a single day.

The country also recorded 2,720 new Covid-19 cases and eight deaths due to the virus.

Since the start of the pandemic, the country recorded 269,165 Covid-19 infections and 224,053 recoveries.

Malaysia’s Covid-19 death toll is now at 983.