He said the finding was based on an analysis by the ministry on 113 BID cases between Feb 5 and 21.
“Our analysis found that 91% of such cases did not realise they contracted Covid-19 before they died. They were found positive when the ministry conducted tests,” Khairy told a press conference today.
“Based on our survey, more than 50% of next of kin considered the deceased’s illness to be mild, and did not refer them to health facilities quickly enough. It was too late by the time Covid-19 was detected,” he said.
Khairy advised the public, especially senior citizens with symptoms like fever and cough, to immediately seek treatment at health facilities.
“We saw an increase in BID cases, those who died before they could get treatment at health facilities, which is worrying,” he said.
On reporting for Covid-19 deaths, Khairy said that from March, announcements will be based on the figure received from the field every day.
“We have improved the reporting process for deaths. Previously, deaths would only be announced after the cases were registered at the state level.
“Therefore, there was a delay in the announcement for a number of cases (deaths). This contributed to the backlog,” he said.
Now, registration is no longer necessary and deaths should be reported within 72 hours.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST DATA ON THE COVID-19 SITUATION IN MALAYSIA