JOHOR BARU, Feb 2 — A total of 56 people, including 22 infants, at the Baitus Solehah shelter home for single-mothers in Skudai here have tested positive for Covid-19.
Those found positive have since been sent to three hospitals for further treatment.
Baitus Solehah manager Muna Liza Ismail said the infected include 22 mothers with their babies.
The mothers were aged between 15 and 32 while the infants’ ages ranged from 10 days to a year.
“The Covid-19 positive among those in the shelter was confirmed after the shelter’s management received a call from the health authorities yesterday evening (Monday) informing them that some of the residents were positive.
“They went earlier for a Covid-19 screening last Saturday after a resident had shown symptoms of being infected,” she said on the Baitus Solehah Facebook page.
The Baitus Solehah shelter has been in operation since 2013 and takes in young single mothers from all over the country, including Sabah and Sarawak.
Baitus Solehah has three shelters for women, including one that was turned into a dormitory for young mothers who could not go back to their respective hometowns due to the movement control order (MCO).
On the shelter’s Facebook page, Muna Liza explained that since last year’s MCO, the shelter has strictly followed the standard operating procedure (SOP) in place.
She said they do not allow any visitors while those who want to donate items have been told to leave them outside the shelter’s gates.
“The staff have done their best to ensure the residents were not alarmed when the ambulances came to send them to Kluang Hospital, Permai Hospital and Sultanah Aminah Hospital.
“It is important to take care of their health and emotions, especially for pregnant mothers and those breastfeeding their babies,” she said.
Malay Mail is awaiting an official statement from Johor Health director Datuk Dr Aman Rabu on the matter.
Since last month, Johor has seen a spike in Covid-19 cases. On January 27, the state surpassed Selangor in terms of new Covid-19 infections, at 1,069.
Yesterday, Johor recorded 1,068 infections as of 12pm, while cumulative infections reached more than 22,626.