COVID-19 Outbreak in Malaysia

Abstract

In 2020 a significant threat to public health emerged. The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic outbreak emerged in December 2019 from Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China and spread to the rest of the world. This disease was named COVID-19 by World Health Organization. To date (17 th April 2020) a total of 2,230,439 cases of COVID-19; 150,810 cases of deaths and 564,210 recovered cases have been reported worldwide. In this review the SARS-CoV-2 morphology, pathogenic mechanism, similarities and differences between SARS-CoV and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome, transmission mode, diagnosis, treatment, and preventive measures were investigated. The outbreak of COVID-19 from a Malaysian perspective was explored and mental health care during the COVID-19 outbreak was explored. To date, there is no vaccine or no specific treatment for COVID-19. Therefore, preventive measures are very important to prevent and control the rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Preparedness should be a priority for future pandemic outbreaks.

Doctors’ Mental Health in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Work Demands and Recovery Experiences

“…The first case of COVID-19 was reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 [ 3 ] which then spread around the world. The first few cases of COVID-19 in Malaysia were imported cases reported on January 25, 2020, involving three Chinese nationals [ 4 , 5 ]. The first Malaysian citizen to contract COVID-19 was reported on 4 February 2020 [ 4 , 5 ].…”

“…The first few cases of COVID-19 in Malaysia were imported cases reported on January 25, 2020, involving three Chinese nationals [ 4 , 5 ]. The first Malaysian citizen to contract COVID-19 was reported on 4 February 2020 [ 4 , 5 ]. Following an annual mass religious assembly in Kuala Lumpur which was held between 27 February to 1 March 2020, the cases of COVID-19 in Malaysia drastically increased from mid-March 2020 and peaked in May 2020 [ 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”

“…The first Malaysian citizen to contract COVID-19 was reported on 4 February 2020 [ 4 , 5 ]. Following an annual mass religious assembly in Kuala Lumpur which was held between 27 February to 1 March 2020, the cases of COVID-19 in Malaysia drastically increased from mid-March 2020 and peaked in May 2020 [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. During the period, Malaysia was one of the top 20 countries with the highest number of COVID-19 cases worldwide.…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic changed the daily routines of each individual worldwide in tandem with efforts to prevent and control the transmission of COVID-19 [ 6 ]. The increasing trend of suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 required healthcare workers, particularly doctors, to be involved in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic such as contact tracing, diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with COVID-19 [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. In this situation, doctors may face a higher level of work demands related to the mental (such as working on diagnosis as COVID-19 symptoms mimic other mild common diseases), physical (such as prolonged working in complete personal protective equipment attire under hot and humid conditions), temporal (such as managing multiple urgent cases under time constraints) and emotional (such as dealing with patients’ death and dying) context.…”

“…In Malaysia, most of the COVID-19 cases were handled by the Ministry of Health through public hospitals, district health offices and health clinics [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. The work involves healthcare workers, particularly medical doctors, in different settings at public hospitals, clinics, administrative offices, and community fieldwork [ 4 ].…”