Son of doctor who tested positive for Covid-19 pleads for Malaysians to obey shutdown

Son of doctor who tested positive for Covid-19 pleads for Malaysians to obey shutdown

Mahfuz Shaharudin took to Twitter to appeal to Malaysians to stay at home during the movement control order. — Picture via Twitter

KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — As medical frontliners continue fighting Covid-19, the son of a doctor took to Twitter to appeal to Malaysians to adhere to the Movement Control Order.

Mahfuz Shaharudin said that his father was one of the Covid-19 patients admitted at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) now.

“When everyone cannot sit still and spread the virus everywhere, the Health Ministry will never have enough manpower to treat the current patients.”

“So please everyone, please respect the Movement Control Order imposed by the government,” he tweeted on March 18.

Ayah aku one of the Covid-19 patient yg dalam ICU skrg. Bila semua orang x boleh duduk diam n duk sebar virus tu merata,KKM takkan cukup tangan utk rawat pesakit yang sedia ada.Jadi semua tolonglah hormati Controlled Movement Order yg govt dah impose #StayAtHome #COVIDー19— Mahfuz Shaharudin #StayAtHome (@FuzDwarf) March 18, 2020

Speaking to Malay portal mStar, the 30-year-old said his father, who is a doctor, was informed by the district health department on March 4 to go for check up after a patient he treated had tested positive for the virus.

“According to the health officer, the patient had informed them that he had visited my father’s clinic in February.”

“The patient was a personnel of a government-linked company. The health officer then asked my father to get himself tested for Covid-19, which my father did on the same day. However, my father was held at the hospital as he had close contact with the patient.”

Mahfuz added that the result returned on March 7 showing his father was positive Covid-19.

“After that, doctors asked everyone at home including my mother and two younger siblings to get tested,” he said, adding that at that time, his mother had shown symptoms of fever and cough.

“On March 11, my mother and siblings test results returned and mother tested positive for Covid-19. Alhamdulillah, my younger siblings tested negative,” he said, adding that his parents were later held at Hospital Sungai Buloh.

Mahfuz said his father’s condition worsened on March 14 and was admitted to ICU for breathing difficulties.

“My father was an active person, he looks after his food intake and does not have prior medical conditions.”

His mother was later discharged on March 22.

“Mother still needs to quarantine herself at home. Mother and my two younger siblings need to have social distancing, cannot share washroom. They leave their rooms at separate times to reduce the risk,” he said, adding that his father was still in ICU and his condition has yet to show an improvement.

The eldest child of five siblings, who stays with his wife at Semenyih, said the last time he saw his parents was on February 23.

“To date, still cannot see them...stressful that cannot visit them, cannot return home to visit mother.”