KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian authorities are taking steps to prepare for a possible surge in fresh COVID-19 infections as the Omicron variant is fueling a spike in cases, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on Monday.
Among the measures are the reactivation of the national COVID-19 rapid response task force which oversees field hospitals, the number of available hospital beds and coordination with private healthcare facilities, Khairy said in a press briefing.
Khairy assured the public of sufficient capacity of the existing healthcare facilities, saying 33 percent, or 3,233 of the 9,776 hospital beds in the country, are currently in use, and 14 percent or 116 of 850 intensive care hospital beds in the country are in use.
"For the time being, the use of beds at healthcare facilities is not overloaded. We are also able to convert more beds as needed," he said.
He added that 120 hospitals are available in the country to treat COVID-19 patients and there are 43 low-risk quarantine centers hosting another 10,810 beds.
He also said the majority of fresh infections are asymptomatic or mild infections, but it is necessary to take steps to ensure the healthcare system is not overwhelmed.
Malaysia has witnessed a surge of new infections over the past week, with 11,034 new cases being reported on Monday. The previous time the country had seen five-digit new infections was in October last year. ■