KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 18): The Ministry of Health (MoH) announced today the formation of the Central Region Covid-19 Unified Command Centre in collaboration with the National Security Council (NSC) to manage the Covid-19 response in all public hospitals as well as low-risk quarantine and treatment centres in the Klang Valley.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the centre will be led by Selangor Health Department director Datuk Dr Sha’ari Ngadiman and assisted by Dr Sarah Shaikh Abdul Karim, who is a trauma specialist from the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

Furthermore, he said, the bed capacity to treat Covid-19 patients in the Klang Valley areas had been increased to 4,739 beds, up almost 14 times from 345 beds on Oct 1.

The bed capacity includes 630 and 831 beds in the Sungai Buloh and Kuala Lumpur hospitals respectively.

Meanwhile, the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital has been converted into a hybrid Covid-19 hospital with 230 Covid-19 beds. 

“We have also opened up eight blocks at the Malaysian MoH Training Institute (ILKMM) in Sungai Buloh to be converted into a low-risk Covid-19 treatment centre with a capacity of 2,400 beds, and the National Leprosy Control Centre remains as a low-risk treatment centre with 648 beds,” said Noor Hisham at a media briefing today.

Malaysia today reported 660 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the country’s cumulative tally to 50,390.

The ministry said 173 new cases were detected in the Klang Valley territories, comprising Selangor with 141 cases, followed by Kuala Lumpur with 31 infections, while Putrajaya recorded one case.