LABUAN: Labuan which has been very successful in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, has recorded zero deaths due to Covid-19 over a period of 30 days until Thursday.
The last the duty-free island recorded fatalities due to the virus was on Aug 3 with one case. The death toll here so far is 149.
Labuan Health Department director Dr Ismuni Bohari said five key elements enabled the federal territory to achieve the zero fatality record in a month, namely an effective vaccination programme, strong cooperation from the people, strict border control, systematic public health control and an intervention programme based on risk assessment.
“The vaccination exercise supported by the public health restrictions appear to be finally turning the tide…we are glad to record zero fatalities for a month today,” he told Bernama.
Dr Ismuni said achieving this record was no easy task as healthcare personnel had to work round-the-clock to provide care for every patient.
“One strength is the incredible efforts and dedication of health care workers in focusing on providing the best care possible to patients.
Healthcare providers, he said, do their best to provide care for patients and that nurses played a crucial role in providing intensive care and assisting with activities of daily living.
“Of course it is challenging working in Covid-19 wards. We cannot not deny that our healthcare providers were challenged by working in a totally new context, exhaustion due to heavy workloads and protective gear, the fear of becoming infected and infecting others, feeling powerless to handle patients’ conditions, and managing relationships in this stressful situation.
“Our healthcare providers have to use self-management strategies to cope with the situation…eventually they achieved transcendence from this unique experience,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Ismuni said Labuan was still exposed to infections due to its close proximity to Sabah and Sarawak, which are still grappling with Covid-19 cases.
“Labuan being an oil and gas hub, continues to receive inflow of ship crews domestically and internationally. Therefore, it is important for everyone to continue adhering to the standard operating procedures in daily activities,” he said.
Of Labuan’s adult population, 98.71 per cent or 67, 613 people have been fully vaccinated as of Sept 2. – Bernama