Covid-19: Over 3,000 healthcare workers tested positive within a week

PETALING JAYA: Over 3,000 healthcare workers have tested positive for Covid-19 over a span of one week, about half of 7,700 who tested positive so far this year.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said while the Health Ministry recorded only 284 cases in the epidemic week of 2022, a total of 3,343 cases were recorded between Feb 6 to Feb 12.

As of Feb 15, a total of 7,702 healthcare workers have been found positive for Covid-19 with 5,063 of them being absent from work, which constituted about 1.96% of the total workforce in the ministry.

A new circular had been issued on Tuesday (Feb 15), focusing on management of healthcare workers identified as close contacts.

Dr Noor Hisham said measures were taken to ensure minimal disruption to the services and care of patients during the absence of many healthcare workers from work.

"Necessary steps and adaptive policy were introduced based on current available data and practices in other countries.

"We are also working with private healthcare facilities to assist in the management of Covid-19 patients," Dr Noor Hisham told Malaysiakini.

The latest circular detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) on managing healthcare workers who are exposed to confirmed Covid-19 cases, including their dates of return to work.

According to news portal, a healthcare worker identified as close contact is to be classified as either low risk (where the worker and source person both were wearing a mask) or high risk.

High-risk close contact is when a healthcare worker has contact with a confirmed case without wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE), or living in the same accommodation with a shared bathroom or kitchen with a positive case.

For those identified as low-risk contact and asymptomatic, the healthcare workers are not required to take the RTK Antigen test and are not restricted from work.

They are only required to self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days and get tested if they develop symptoms.

Those who had low-risk contact but are symptomatic are required to take the RTK Antigen test immediately and are allowed to return to work if the test came back negative.

RTK Antigen test is required immediately for those who are identified as high risk.

The asymptomatic ones are allowed to return to work if their result is negative but they must do the test daily until Day 5 after exposure with a positive person (Day 7 if partially vaccinated or unvaccinated).

For those who have high-risk close contact and have symptoms of the disease, they can return to work if they test negative on Day 3 and their symptoms have substantially resolved.

They also have to take an RTK Antigen test daily until Day 5 or Day 7 (if unvaccinated / partially vaccinated), and self-monitor for symptoms.

The circular also listed a set of practices and restrictions for those categorised as close contacts when they return to work.

These include having to wear the appropriate PPE at all clinical areas and strictly adhere to hygiene guidelines, restricted from taking care of immunocompromised patients for the period of monitoring and not allowed to share the same confined areas while unmasked (like pantry and prayer room when there are other colleagues).

They are also required to undergo a professional RTK Antigen test or supervised saliva test before starting work daily, to wear a well-fitted three-ply surgical mask and face shield when in close contact with other colleagues, in case physical distancing is not permissible and restricted movement while at work and off work.