KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 17): Dozens of hospital staff and in-patients at the Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR) in Klang, Selangor, have come down with Covid-19 over the past three weeks, sparking fears of an outbreak of the disease there, according to Malaysiakini.

At least 40 staff and more than 50 patients there have contracted the coronavirus so far, the news portal wrote, adding Health Ministry officials had attended a briefing on a possible Covid-19 outbreak at the hospital this morning.

Selangor Health director Dr Sha'ari Ngadiman reportedly confirmed the briefing. "I take note that there have been cases (involving staff and patients infected with Covid-19) there. This is why the ministry officials were at the hospital to learn more about the issue. As such, I cannot give further comment," Sha'ari was quoted as saying.

The infected patients were initially admitted to HTAR for non-Covid-19 illness and had tested negative upon admission, the news portal wrote. Later, however, they developed Covid-19 symptoms. All the infected have since been transferred to Hospital Sungai Buloh for treatment, it added, citing sources.

The source of infection remained unknown at this juncture, but it is speculated that the infections might have happened in lifts or crowded wards, Malaysiakini wrote.

It also noted HTAR has 1,094 beds and gets the most number of patients among all public hospitals in Selangor, not including Universiti Malaya Medical Centre.

This is also not the first time HTAR experienced a spread of Covid-19 infections, it wrote, as it pointed to several infections that occurred at the hospital in March, which prompted the hospital to limit visiting hours and bar children under 12 who are not patients from entering.

Such measures, it noted, are now in place in all public hospitals to curb potential Covid-19 infection.

It also noted that Klang is currently the worst-hit district nationwide — with 3,512 cases reported in the past two weeks. Though the outbreak there was initially driven by clusters within factories in the area, it has now spread to the nearby communities.