Malaysian funeral directors are struggling as the number of people dying from Covid-19 rises

[Andrew Reeve]

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Muhammad Rafieudin Zainal Rasid, the undertaker, now handles up to 30 Covid-19 funerals per day. Last year, he handled one of these funerals every week or two weeks.

In April, the number of Covid-19 fatalities in Malaysia began to rise, reaching a high of 207 on Monday (July 26) and Tuesday.

 

This amount is expected to increase as the number of daily infections in Malaysia continues to rise, with 17,045 cases reported on Sunday, the highest number since the pandemic began.

In recent weeks, hospitals and Covid-19 evaluation centers have been inundated with patients, and ambulances dashing across the city ferrying Covid-19 patients have become commonplace.

 

"Authorities have indicated that the number of deaths is expected to climb in the next three to six months, with 120 deaths per day in the Klang Valley alone, and 200 to 300 per day overall. This is concerning "The Straits Times spoke with Mr Muhammad Rafieudin.

Noor Hisham Abdullah, the health director-general, warned on Sunday that the daily caseload is anticipated to grow to 24,000 in September. Despite tighter limitations under a so-called movement control order, the number of Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia increased to a new high of 1,290 in May. 2,374 deaths were recorded in June. As of Tuesday, the virus had claimed the lives of 8,408 people across the country.

 

Source: The Straits Times