KUALA LUMPUR: With Sabah recording 2,738 cumulative Covid-19 cases (as of today), hospitals and healthcare facilities in the state said their resources are stretched almost to the maximum.
A source speaking on a condition of anonymity said Tawau Hospital which is one among the six main hospitals able to handle Covid-19 cases, were reaching maximum capacity.
"All the wards in Tawau Hospital have been turned into Covid-19 wards, as sporadic cases keep rising at an alarming rate.
"Although some of the patients did not display any symptoms, their results came back positive for Covid-19 when they were tested using the Rapid Test Kits (RTK-Antigen)," the source told the New Straits Times.
The source also said that some medical personnel had also contracted the virus while on duty.
"So far, I heard that four medical officers in Semporna were tested positive for Covid-19, with one of them is struggling with Type 1 respiratory failure.
"This has led to shortage of medical personnel on the ground. Thank God we are getting medical reinforcements from the Peninsular to help us coping with the situation," the source said.
Another source who declined to be named said the Covid-19 situation in the state was akin to a "warzone".
The medical personnel who has been working for nine years said the hospitals were attending to critical patients with breathing difficulties every day.
"Some of the patients require ventilator support. As a frontliner, even I am scared that I may contract the virus despite taking all precautions while treating the patients," said the source.
Meanwhile, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the ministry had beefed up medical reinforcement in the state amid the spike of Covid-19 cases there.
"Seventy-five per cent of beds have been occupied in the six Covid-19 designated hospitals in Sabah, which are capable of housing 710 beds each," said Dr Noor Hisham, who is under self-quarantine at home, on Facebook live stream today.
The six hospitals are Tawau Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Sabah Women and Children's Hospital, Lahad Datu Hospital, Duchess of Kent Hospital and Keningau Hospital.
Dr Noor Hisham also said 38 per cent out of 72 beds which had been made available for critical Covid-19 patients had been utilised as of October 6.
"Additional wards have been opened in Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Lahad Datu and Sandakan to cater to the rising number of Covid-19 cases.
"PPR Bubul Ria has also been opened to accommodate Covid-19 cases from the Semporna district while Sekolah Menengah Agama dormitory has been opened to cater for cases from the Kunak district," he said.
He said the ministry was also arranging for more trained medical personnel to assist healthcare workers in Sabah Health Department at the additional wards.
Tawau Hospital management and Sabah State Health Department have not responded to questions by the NST at press time.