Covid-19 cases expected to swell due to floods, Khairy warns

Malaysiakini:



Covid-19 cases expected to swell due to floods, Khairy warns

Covid-19 cases are expected to swell nationwide following the flood disasters that struck many states over the weekend due to continuous rainfall.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said all states have already been informed to prepare to receive more Covid-19 cases.

“The Health Ministry expects that there may be a spike in (Covid-19) cases due to the floods, as the rescue missions had to be done in an extremely risky situation.

“You are rescuing people from the flood, that is the priority, so we understand that there may be some public health protocols that cannot be fully carried out such as face masks and so on,” Khairy said in a press conference at Parliament today.

He also informed that based on the Health Ministry’s screening, as of 11am today, 181 individuals in temporary shelters tested positive for Covid-19.

An additional 206 individuals were identified as close contacts.

All of the above have since been isolated, Khairy added.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin

Of the 181 positive cases, six were found in Kelantan, 52 in Pahang, 117 in Selangor, four in Kuala Lumpur and one each in Negeri Sembilan and Malacca.

More than 30,000 people were displaced and evacuated due to the floods that hit Klang Valley and six other states since Friday (Dec 17).

Flooding also occurred in Pahang, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu, Kelantan and Perak.

The Environment and Water Ministry had said the amount of rain in the Klang Valley since late Friday equalled the average rainfall for a month.