Datuk John Lau
BINTULU (Sept 24): Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) Kota Sentosa representative Datuk Dr John Lau hopes the authorities will provide every household with an oximeter in view of the high number of brough-in-dead (BID) cases involving Covid-19.
He said based on statistics released by Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), there were 113 BID cases or 15.9 per cent of the total 710 Covid-19 deaths registered in Sarawak as of Sept 22.
“Medical research has shown that asymptomatic hypoxia or silent hypoxemia has always been the major culprit of BID. It is where oxygen levels in the body are abnormally low, which can irreparably damage vital organs if gone undetected for too long.
“Thus, it is very important to use an oximeter to measure the percentage of blood oxygen in our body,” he said in a statement, adding that some of the BID cases in Sarawak in recent weeks were under the age of 60.
He added that providing each home with an oximeter will allow household members to monitor their blood oxygen level and seek medical attention should the level drop below 93 per cent.
“We must learn to use the oximeter if we have flu-like symptoms, fever that we can’t seem to shake off after two days, or if we feel breathless,” Lau said.
A Health Ministry chart shows the weekly Covid-19 deaths and BID cases in Sarawak from Aug 8 to Sept 22.
On another matter, Lau expressed concern over Health Ministry data which showed an increase in the use of intensive care unit (ICU) beds in Sarawak between Sept 9 and Sept 22.
He said unless Sarawak records a drastic drop in the number of Covid-19 cases in the coming days or weeks, ICU beds in the state may soon run out.
“Moving forward, we hope the authority will utilise private hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients in categories 3, 4 and 5.
“It appears that the health capacity in Sarawak requires urgent attention, despite 1,824,310 being fully vaccinated in Sarawak as of Sept 21, with 1,951,471 of them receiving the minimum first dose,” he said.
Meanwhile, PSB Batu Kitang branch chairman Liu Thian Leong wants the state government to continue with stringent Covid-19 testing and contact tracing, and to limit the number of people flying in from other countries.
He said with SDMC recently releasing its revised standard operating procedures for the Southern Zone of the state, there should also be more self-testing at work places to guard against the spread of Covid-19.
At the same time, Liu urged the local councils to carry out more cleaning of corridors, walkways, drains and pavements.
“The drains are still clogged and no one really knows if the Covid-19 virus resides there, unlike Singapore where waste water from residential blocks is tested to predict where the next cluster would be.
“I think the post-vaccination era should be regarded with caution. The present situation is still very fragile and fluid as there are still many factors to consider and many vulnerable groups around that still need protection,” said Liu.
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