CORONAVIRUS | Although only 20 positive cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Sarawak so far, the people have been urged to cooperate by adhering to the Health Ministry guidelines to contain the spread of the virus.

Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah Embas (photo), who is also the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee chairman, said if the outbreak continues, the fear is that there would not be enough hospital beds for patients.

"This is worrying. That is why we have issued a guideline. My appeal to the public is to observe the guideline,” he told reporters after visiting the Kemuyang Youth Camp, about 21km from Sibu, today.

Accompanying him during the visit were Deputy Health Minister Aaron Ago Dagang and Sarawak Local Government and Housing Minister Dr Sim Kui Hian. 

“We are learning from what has been happening all over the world. The policy of isolation and the policy of minimising contact seem to stop the spread of the disease,” said Uggah.

He said there were four designated hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients in the state, namely the Sarawak General Hospital, and the Sibu, Bintulu and Miri hospitals, while other hospitals could not treat those infected with the virus due to insufficient personnel and equipment.

If the designated hospitals could not cope with the number of patients, the patients with other medical problems would have to be moved to these non-designated hospitals or even to private hospitals, he said.

“We had a discussion with the private hospitals yesterday to see how they can assist in the event that we need to move non-Covid-19 patients,” he said, adding that all private hospitals in Sarawak have been told to get their personnel and equipment ready to avoid being caught off guard.

On the Kemuyang Youth campsite, Uggah said it has been found suitable to be turned into a Covid-19 quarantine centre, after the three to be set up in Bintulu, Miri and Kuching.

“Upon examination, we have decided it can be used for that purpose. There are 10 individual rooms that will be sufficient for the time being. At the same time, I am asking the Sibu (disaster management) team to look for any other places in case we need more space,” he added. 

Track Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia here.

- Bernama