Majority of ICU Frontliners in KK Hospital Forced Into Quarantine After Nurse Contracts Covid-19

The Queen Elizabeth II Hospital is now severely crippled due to the lack of manpower!

According to reports by Malaysiakini, the Covid-19 situation in Sabah is getting worse today because of a nurse working in Kota Kinabalu’s Queen Elizabeth II Hospital tested positive for Covid-19. This prompted a total of 40 out of 66 nurses that attends to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital to be in quarantine.

This has placed a toll on the already strained manpower at the hospital, particularly in the ICU department. A source from the hospital told Malaysiakini that the nurse didn’t contact the virus while working at the hospital, but instead from the community before returning to work.

While Queen Elizabeth II Hospital is not a designated Covid-19 hospital, it has been tasked to take all the non-Covid-19 related patients, particularly the ones that require intensive care. Its sister-hospital, the Queen Elizabeth I is the designated Covid-19 hospital in Kota Kinabalu.

However, as the ICU department of Queen Elizabeth II could not run in full-capacity, it puts a strain on the ability of Queen Elizabeth I to reserve ICU beds for Covid-19 patients in Sabah.

The minister of health, dato’ sri dr adham baba

Thankfully, the Ministry of Health is quick to take action and according to its Minister, Dr Adham Baba, medical staffs has been mobilised to fill in the gaps. He was quoted of saying,

“All precautionary and treatment measures have been undertaken. The details about the ICU situation at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital is being handled by the Sabah Health Department,”

Let’s hope that this issue will resolve soon, for the sake of public health in Kota Kinabalu!

Also read: Sabah’s Newly Appointed Chief Minister Tests Positive For Covid-19