Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said district health offices should be informed by contacting the hotline provided so that detection of close contacts could be conducted as soon as possible.

He said the ministry understands if public health standard operating procedures could not be fully complied with, in times of saving lives, but hopes all individuals, whether they are flood victims, volunteers or rescue personnel, will comply with the SOPs as much as possible to curb the spread of Covid-19 infection.

The ministry would continue to monitor Covid-19 transmissions at relief centres and carry out risk assessment from time to time.

Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin had said earlier that a spike in Covid-19 positive cases could take place if public health compliance was not fully implemented during floods.

Noor Hisham said the ministry had provided teams at PPS with basic medical supplies and disinfectants and face masks for flood victims. Covid-19 screening was also conducted on flood victims before entering the centres.

72 health facilities affected by floods

Noor Hisham said 72 health facilities were affected by floods, with 43 in Pahang, 20 in Selangor, eight in Kelantan and one in Negeri Sembilan.

Eight of the facilities were cut off but were still operating, and 20 in Selangor and one in Negeri Sembilan could not operate.

“As at noon, 78 flood victims have been inspected and given outpatient treatment at relief centres. Of the total, 13 cases were with infectious diseases, five had acute respiratory infections, eight skin infections and 65 non-infectious diseases,” he said.