KUCHING, Aug 30: A sudden surge in Covid-19 cases in Bintulu has prompted the reopening of previously suspended low-risk quarantine and treatment centre (PKRC), says Bintulu MP Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.
In a statement today, Tiong said Bintulu currently has 53 positive patients in Category 3 (pulmonary infection) who are still receiving treatment.
According to him, there are also seven patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), of which five patients with coronary artery disease are in Category 4 and two patients in Category 5 who need breathing assistance, while the remaining 1,063 patients are confirmed cases in Categories 1 and 2.
“It was an encouraging moment to see one PKRC after another being shutdown due to disuse (sic). But it is unfortunate that many people’s complacency have overturned the small gains that we have worked so hard to achieve.
“We must all learn from this. In the new normal of the pandemic, even if we can successfully flatten the infection curve in the future, we must always remember to strictly comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and not expose ourselves to the risk of infection unnecessarily,” he said.
He noted that as of today (Aug 30), Bintulu district has recorded 98 local Covid-19 cases with three imported cases, while 64 other cases were recorded as ‘inconclusive’ cases, which is a concern.
“With this total of 165 cases, there is enough evidence to show that Bintulu is entering a very severe period of the pandemic,” added Tiong.
He pointed out that these statistics must not be taken lightly regardless of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) stage an area is in.
He opined that everyone’s actions in the next few days and weeks would be most critical.
He emphasised that preventing transmission is still the most important task and everyone needs to think deeply about implementing more effective and comprehensive strategies to save lives.
“I regret to inform the public that the coronavirus is still prevalent everywhere. It is even more important now not to hold and join gatherings, no barbeques, and do not go out if you do not need to.
“It is also concerning that many of the confirmed cases consist of younger people,” he said. — DayakDaily
