AFTER months of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic since early this year, Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today admitted to battling mental and physical fatigue, as well as stress.

Agreeing that the pandemic is a stressful time for many people, he said he, too, had sleepless nights thinking about ways to flatten the curve.

“Some are affected by high stress and so on, including me, who is also very stressed. 

“Sometimes, I can’t sleep well at night. I will wake up at 3am or 4am because I’m constantly thinking about ways to resolve the Covid-19 issue in the country.

“We have been fighting non-stop for a period of 10 months, without leave.

“Every single day, there are meetings, which require action to be taken,” he told a press conference today in Putrajaya. 

He said it is a stressful time for healthcare personnel, whether frontliners or those in health management. He added they also face mental and physical challenges due to working almost continuously.

“It is indeed a very big challenge because we are at war and we don’t know our enemy.

“We are looking at strategies,” Noor Hisham said.

The number of active Covid-19 cases in the country breached the 10,000 mark today after 801 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours. 

Of the 10,123 active cases, 94 patients are in intensive care, with 25 requiring breathing support.

Malaysia also recorded eight deaths today, taking the death toll to 246. – October 28, 2020.