COVID-19: New quarantine, treatment centre opens in Kinabatangan – Masidi

KOTA KINABALU,. The Sabah Health Department has opened another Quarantine and Low Risk COVID-19 Treatment Centre (PKRC) in the Kinabatangan Sports and Recreation Hall, said Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

Masidi in a statement said that the additional centre began operations on Wednesday( Nov 4).

In a related development, Masidi, who is also the Sabah state government COVID-19 spokesman, said a total of 7,994 beds in PKRCs and 939 beds in hospitals are catering to COVID-19 patients, bringing the total to 8,933 beds, with 36.46 per cent of them in use today.

Meanwhile, six additional medical experts will be placed at the Duchess of Kent Hospital, Sandakan, Lahad Datu Hospital and Tawau Hospital respectively.

“A total of 16 medical officers will be placed at Duchess of Kent Hospital, Sandakan and Tawau Hospital, while 14 more nurses will be placed at Tawau Hospital,” he added.

So far, the Sabah Health Department has enlisted a total of 459 frontliners through the Health Ministry’s human resource mobilisation programme to help Sabah prevent the spread of COVID-19.

From that total, there are 260 nurses, 141 medical officers and 58 medical experts, he said.

“The Health Ministry understands the needs of the Sabah Health Department to ensure services and treatment in hospital remain at optimum levels,” he said.

Masidi also urged all parties to support the efforts to break the COVID-19 chain of infections by adhering to the standard operating procedures as well as getting used to the new norms in daily life.

The state government remained committed to providing accurate information and the best service, including channelling help to those in need, he added.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today announced that the number of new COVID-19 cases nationwide was 1,009, with Sabah remaining as the highest contributor, with 564 cases.

— BERNAMA