KUALA LUMPUR: There has been a dip in Covid-19 hospitalisation rate involving senior citizens aged 60 and above as many in the group have been fully vaccinated against the virus, as observed at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said in the past six weeks, there had been a declining trend in the rate of admission to wards and intensive care units (ICU) at the Sungai Buloh Hospital (one of the healthcare facilities designated Covid-19 treatment hospital in Selangor) for senior citizens.
This, he said indicates that the administration of vaccines to the elderly group in phase two of the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme, which was implemented since April 19 has begun to produce a positive impact in the context of health.
"Fully immunised people are able to strengthen the body's immune system against Covid-19 virus infection and protect themselves from getting more severe symptoms of infection.
"They are also able to reduce the rate of infection of Covid-19 positive cases by 50 per cent," he said in a special televised address on special privileges and benefits for fully immunised people.
He said the situation was also similar to health ministry personnel who received the Covid-19 vaccine since the NIP started on Feb 24.
A total of 246,242 health ministry staff have received complete vaccination and only 4,635 (1.88 per cent) were found to be infected with Covid-19, he said.
"Of the total number of positive cases, 4,625 (99.78 per cent) experienced only mild or asymptomatic symptoms. While only seven cases (0.15 per cent) were category 3 and three cases (0.06 per cent) were category 4.
"None of those with category 5 Covid-19 infection required respiratory assistance," he added.
Category 1 patients are asymptomatic, while Category 2 display mild symptoms, Category 3 patients suffer from pneumonia and lung infection (require treatment and observation at hospitals), Category 4 are patients with lung infection and require oxygen (14 days in ICU on average), and Category 5 consists of critical patients in need of ventilators (21 days in ICU on average).