MORE Covid-19 categories 1 and 2 cases are in hospital are because of individual risk factors such as age and comorbidities, health experts said.

Lack of carers at home is another factor for their high hospitalisation rate, they said, adding that some patients end up in the Covid-19 ward after being hospitalised for other illnesses.

Dr Tan Toh Leong, consultant emergency physician at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, said those in categories 1 and 2 are admitted after a session at the the Covid-19 assessment centre (CAC) or hospital.

“Those who are pregnant, cancer patients on treatment, bed bound with logistic issues will be admitted after being properly assessed by CAC and hospital,” Tan told The Malaysian Insight.

Those who contract Covid-19 while seeking treatment for other illnesses will also similarly be admitted, he said.

“Some of them are admitted for other reasons, but after they are confirmed to be Covid-19 positive, we will immediately transfer to the Covid-19 ward.”

Among the 1,239 virus admissions reported yesterday, 57% were categories 1 and 2 patients.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had previously said that most categories 1 and 2 patients aged 60 and older were admitted for observation lest their condition deteriorated at home.

This is also due to the prevalence of the Omicron variant which has a high transmission rate.

Category 1 patients are not symptomatic. Category 2A cases have mild symptoms such as cough, flu and fever while category 2B shows moderate to serious symptoms such as breathing difficulties.

Category 2B cases aged 60 and older are encouraged to visit the CAC and hospitals for an assessment.

Typically those who are in categories 1 and 2A are told to quarantine at home and are monitored via MySejahtera, whereby they are required to update their health status twice a day.

The quarantine period for peple who are fully vaccinated is seven days while those who are not fully vaccinated are required to quarantine for 10 days.

Epidemiologist Dr Malina Othman said poor monitoring of existing diseases could also lead to hospitalisation of categories 1 and 2 patients.

“Those in categories 1 and 2 who need admission are usually those with uncontrolled glucose levels, blood pressure, morbid obesity, other medical illness that need to be treated.

“And also, some of them are among guardians who take care of their child or parent in the ward,” she said.

Public health expert Dr Zainal Ariffin added that non-conducive environments for home quarantine could also be driving up the numbers in hospitals.

“When they have high risk factors and chronic diseases which are poorly controlled and unsuitable living conditions, this could cause them to be hospitalised.” – March 22, 2022.