Health Minister Dr Adham Baba has urged Malaysians to be wary of the rise in COVID-19 cases in the country, and follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set, so the country does not end up like India.

"In January, (India) said that it looked like it was nearing the end of the pandemic, so people gathered in crowds, went here and there, and as a result, it is facing a storm.

"We must learn from them, especially with the existence of a new COVID-19 variant here, we feel that every Malaysian must be more careful and evaluate how the situation in India has worsened," The Star quoted Adham saying.

Indian hospitals are running out of beds, oxygens, and even space in the morgue to house the deceased, as the coronavirus continues to batter the country. The situation is so bad that gravediggers are working around the clock to bury victims, and parks and parking lots are becoming homes to makeshift funeral pyres to cremate the dead.

To date, India has more than 18.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, and over 208,000 deaths from the disease. It is the second worst-hit country after the United States.

On Thursday, the country reported 3,645 new deaths - the highest number of fatalities since the pandemic broke last year.

Malaysia has also been consistently recording more than 3,000 new cases daily, the last few days, and hospitals in several states in the country are either at full or above 80 percent capacity. The average occupancy rate at public hospitals nationwide stands at 54 percent.

The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia also recently revealed that private hospitals have reached their capacity to house COVID-19 patients.

Adham urged the people to avoid unessential gatherings or meetings, as there are many sporadic cases happening in the community.

According to him further, the interstate travel ban would be extended as there have been outbreaks caused such travels.

Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 3,332 new COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths, bringing the total number of infections and fatalities in the country to 404,925, and 1,492, respectively.

The global coronavirus infection and death tally has surpassed 151 million, and 3.17 million, respectively.


Source: The Star
Photo source: Getty images via forbes.com