MALAYSIA continues to see more than 300 critical cases at intensive care units (ICUs) for the seventh day running, as hospitals in some parts of the country run out of beds.

Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there were 338 cases being treated at ICU as of noon today, slightly lower than the all-time high of 352 cases reported yesterday.

Of this, 181 patients are currently placed under respiratory support. This is also the second highest number of patients to be placed under ventilator support, since yesterday’s 186.

Noor Hisham said two days ago that the occupancy rate of ICUs in the Klang Valley hospitals had reached 90%.

In a Facebook post, he said a total of six hospitals with critical care beds and intensive care units (ICU) dedicated to treating Covid-19 patients were found to have exceeded the threshold, with bed capacity exceeding 70%.

The six are Sg Buloh hospital, Kuala Lumpur hospital, Ampang hospital, Serdang hospital, Selayang hospital and Tengku Ampuan Rahimah hospital in Klang.

He said some of these hospitals are also reaching 100% bed capacity and ICU utilisation.

Today the Johor government announced that hospitals in the state have exceeded  their ICU capacity.

As for fatalities, 23 deaths were reported today, which is the highest since February 18, when an all-time record of 25 cases were reported. Today’s fatalities raised the death toll to 1,574. 

All 23 of the deceased had pre-existing health conditions.

The oldest victims were that an 85-year-old man in Kelantan and another woman of the same age in Malacca.

The youngest fatality today was a 37-year-old man in Kajang, Selangor. – May 4, 2021.