MELAKA: The number of Covid-19 patient admissions to hospitals in Melaka recorded an increase of up to 57 per cent in the past seven days, as the Melaka State Election campaign peaked and entered its second week.
The CovidNow portal showed that the spike was the second-highest in Malaysia.
The high rate was recorded when hundreds of key party machinery and leaders started camping in Melaka for the final round of the state polls.
The surge has raised concerns over the availability of hospital beds in Melaka where currently, 77 per cent of hospital beds have been utilised with 24.1 per cent consisting of Covid-19 patients.
On the first day of the campaigning period, the total daily admissions of Covid-19 patients were 15 cases.
This then increased to 26 cases on Tuesday, followed by 70 cases on Wednesday, 26 cases (Thursday), 31 cases (Friday), 32 cases (Saturday), and 33 cases yesterday.
In addition, the number of new Covid-19 cases in this historic state also recorded a three per cent increase over the past seven days, with an average of 195 cases a week.
The infectivity rate (Rt) of Covid-19 in Melaka did not show any decreasing trend and is now getting close to 1.0, as it recorded a 0.97 yesterday.
Last Friday, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that the average Rt nationwide had returned to 1.0, which means that the declining pattern in the number of new cases over the past few weeks has stopped.
"This means that daily cases are flat and our concern is if it rises again.
"The people are urged to adhere to the standard operating procedure (SOP) and vulnerable groups are advised to immediately get a booster dose the moment an appointment is given," he said.