COVID-19 “ THE INVISIBLE, DEADLY ENEMY

Photo Essay - ¬œ Series 2 COVID-19 - ¬œ THE INVISIBLE, DEADLY ENEMY By Muhammad Izzuddin Abd Radzak & Muhammad Mustaqim Khairuddin SUNGAI BULOH, July 16 - The two days we spent taking photographs of the scenes at the Sungai Buloh Hospital, a designated COVID-19 hospital, will remain etched in our memory for a long time. We will not easily forget the COVID-infected infant, linked to a ventilator, who cried incessantly even as the mother kept consoling the child at the paediatric ward. The baby was obviously in pain but how else could it make known its predicament. Neither will we be able to easily erase from our minds the scenes at the ward for patients in Category Four of the five-category disease. Category Four patients normally suffer from pneumonia and require oxygen. They need to be carefully observed to prevent their deterioration to Category Five which involves multiple organ impairment and possibly requiring assisted ventilation. In the afternoon of the first day we adorned the personal protective equipment (PPE) and stepped into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where almost every bed had been taken up. An atmosphere of gloom greeted us. The healthcare staff were constantly monitoring the condition of the patients. We saw, much to our shock, a body already placed in a body bag and waiting to be sent to the Forensics Unit. More shocks and a state of melancholy were in store for us on the second day. We were shown around the Emergency Unit where the staff were busy attending to patients being brought in one after another. Part of the unit was operating as an ICU due to the shortage of beds in the ICU proper. One could see that the healthcare staff were in various stages of fatigue but they carried on relentlessly taking care of the patients. The ringing of the bell indicating the arrival of new patients in ambulances gave us a jolt each time it sounded. A new patient was brought in almost every hour, but the experienced staff handled the situation calmly. At the Emergency Unit, doctor who was monitoring the condition of a patient in his 30s lamented that many young people infected by COVID-19 were being brought in to the hospital. He emphasised the importance of getting vaccinated because an inoculated person will not be severely affected by the disease which will not progress to the critical fourth or fifth categories. We put aside our cameras for a moment as we witnessed the passing of two patients at the Emergency Unit, one of whom was the young patient the doctor was attending to. These two patients whom we had met earlier in the day were no more by evening as the deadly virus took its toll. The healthcare personnel quickly prepared the bodies for burial and the beds of these patients were almost immediately taken up by waiting patients. It was a sad day indeed, not easy for anyone to forget. The Sungai Buloh Hospital was the first of the government hospitals to be designated a COVID-19 hospital. The experience garnered by the healthcare personnel at the hospital for more than a year has enabled them to handle and treat patients swiftly and with utmost efficiency. The number of daily cases has not stopped rising. July 14 saw the number recorded at 11,618, and predictions are that the figure will keep rising for two more weeks before stabilising. The battle against COVID-19 is ongoing. Hopefully, our attempt to build a wall to check the virus will be successful. That wall can only be built through vaccination of the population. The people must get themselves vaccinated. Getting vaccinated and adhering strictly to the standard operating procedures (SOP) of wearing a mask, observing physical distancing and washing/sanitising hands frequently are about the only avenues to keep ourselves safe from the virus. Lindung diri, lindung semua. (Protect Oneself, Protect Everyone). CAPTION: A healthcare staff sanitises the body of a COVID-19 patient before zipping up the body bag at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Sungai Buloh Hospital, a designated COVID-19 hospital. - fotoBERNAMA (2021) COPYRIGHT RESERVED *** Local Caption *** Photo Essay - ¬œ Series 2 : COVID-19 - ¬œ THE INVISIBLE, DEADLY ENEMY

photographed by: IZZUDDIN ABD RADZAK

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COVID-19 “ THE INVISIBLE, DEADLY ENEMY

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