And judging by the latest statistics, the situation is more dire than we think.

Critical stage

The Ministry Of Health revealed on Saturday (1 May) that the situation in hospitals around Klang Valley is reaching a critical stage.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah told The Star Online that six hospitals have passed their 70 per cent capacity for COVID-19 patients.

In fact, Dr Noor Hisham revealed that Hospital Sungai Buloh, which has been fully dedicated to treating COVID-19 cases, has seen more than 20 case referrals almost every day for the past week.

Five other hospitals around the Klang Valley -- Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Hospital Serdang, Hospital Ampang and Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Klang -- have also recorded an increase in patients, data from the National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre revealed.

In a series of Facebook posts, Dr Noor Hisham painted a grim picture of just how dire the situation in the hospitals is.

"63 ICU patients, with more than 25 critically ill patients to be reviewed in the general ward and emergency department and more than 20 case referrals to ICU daily in the past one week in Sungai Buloh Hospital," he wrote in one of the posts.

On top of that, the above-mentioned hospitals, which provide beds at ICUs and critical treatment centres to treat COVID-19 patients, have already hit critical level.

"Hospital Sungai Buloh, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Hospital Ampang, Hospital Serdang, Hospital Selayang and Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah are already over 70 per cent capacity with some of them almost hitting 100 per cent," he said.

"At Universiti Malaya Medical Centre's ICU capacity, ICU bed capacity is now over 50 per cent," he wrote.

As a result of the sudden increase in patients, hospitals in the Klang Valley were forced to postpone or reduce surgeries so that the doctors and nurses can help treat COVID-19 patients.

“As of today, 108 ventilator units are needed for COVID-19 patients in Klang Valley alone.

“Overall 277 ICU critical beds have been set aside for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients in states encompassing the Klang Valley. Of this number, 152 have been specially set aside to treat COVID-19 parents, with its usage capacity now reaching 88 per cent,” he wrote further.

Reason for spike

According to Dr Noor Hisham, the reason for the sudden surge in patients was due to the increase in critical cases by 62 per cent compared to a fortnight ago.

The Ministry Of Health has recorded an increase in the case trend from Week 12 to Week 17 of 2021, with a total of 79,881 cases as of Saturday (1 May).

The Rt value for Malaysia has also increased, with the latest at 1.14 nationwide, Dr Noor Hisham said.

With Malaysia now dangerously close to hitting the fourth COVID-19 wave, it is now very important for us to start taking care of ourselves.