MALAYSIANS need to be patient and exercise self- restraint to beat Covid-19, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said the third coronavirus wave that was currently threatening to engulf the nation has sorely taxed the healthcare system and that the hospitals were running out of beds and respirators for the critically ill.

“If the numbers keep climbing and reach 5,000 new infections per day, we will become like India or Brazil, where they are unable to treat patients and people are left to die,” said the 95-year-old former prime minister on Facebook this morning.

“The pandemic is worse now as there are new variants that are more infectious than the previous ones. The vaccines we have may not even be enough,” said Dr Mahathir as he urged Malaysians to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus.

“As it is, the new variant has caused one person to infect more than 2,000 others.

“We are lucky as we have enough supply of oxygen but we are running out of breathing apparatus. If more are admitted, they may not get sufficient treatment and their conditions will only worsen.

Dr Mahathir’s advice came after the country yesterday logged 26 deaths from infection in a single day, the highest per day number of fatalities since the pandemic started.

There were 416 admissions into intensive care yesterday and the government has warned that the hospitals were running out of beds for critical care.

He said the only way to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic was to exercise self-control and avoid going out unnecessarily.

“I don’t go to the mosque to pray anymore because too many people come up to greet and talk to me.

“We may practise social distancing when we are praying but people congregate before and after that and that causes more infections.”

Dr Mahathir also warned people against going to the Ramadan bazaars.

“I know that many traders were prepared to sell their wares at the bazaars and I am saddened by the situation. But if we focused just on selling our items, we may infect more people.

“Therefore, I appeal to all, regardless of race or political inclination, to sacrifice and stay home.

“We brought the infections down to two digits during the first lockdown last year and we can do it again,” said the Langkawi MP.

“I hope that we can sacrifice a little now for the future good and I hope that the government will help those in need with essential items.”

On Saturday, director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah warned that the number of new infections per day could reach 7,000 by June if people do not adhere to the SOPs.

Malaysia yesterday recorded 3,733 daily cases after registering more than 4,000 cases per day on the previous two days. There are 37,060 active cases to date. – May 9, 2021.