KOTA KINABALU: Sabah recorded 190 new positive Covid-19 cases on Sunday, which brought the tally to 68,767 cases, said Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun.
No death was recorded.
Of the 190 new cases, Masidi said Kota Kinabalu registered 38 cases, followed by Kudat (34), Kota Belud (23), Tawau (12), Sandakan (12), Beaufort (11) and Keningau (11).
Putatan, Kalabakan, Kota Marudu, Penampang, Tuaran, Kuala Penyu, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Papar, Tongod and Nabawan recorded single digit increase in new infections.
Masidi, who is Sabah’s official Covid-19 spokesperson, said three new clusters were recorded on Sunday as well.
He said the Bata Durok Cluster in Keningau with 12 cumulative positive cases involved the transmission of Covid-19 within the community in Lingkudau, Luagan and Patikang subdistricts, which originated from a 69-year-old man who tested positive before he was warded at Keningau Hospital on June 23.
Preliminary investigation found that social activities, namely the sale of illegal four-digit lottery tickets, has resulted in the spread of the virus to family members and the community.
Meanwhile, he said the Linau Kumpang Cluster in Kota Belud recorded 13 new cases, which brought the total to 30.
He said the index case was a 40-year-old woman who experienced fever, flu and loss of smell and taste since June 11, before tested positive at the Kota Belud Hospital two days later.
He said the woman from Kampung Ejuk could have contracted the virus while visiting her family at Kg Linau Kumpang on June 10.
Masidi said the third cluster, dubbed Tembok Kota Kinabalu Cluster that involved the state capital, Papar and Penampang was registered in Kepayan Central Prison.
“The index case is a male Indonesian inmate, 24, who tested positive on June 17 in a screening at the prison.”
Of the 419 samples taken, he said 31 cases, including 13 new ones were recorded in Kota Kinabalu on Sunday, while 255 samples were negative and 133 pending results.
He said two cases in Penampang and another one in Papar were also reported under the cluster following close contact screenings, which brought the tally to 34 cases.
On the other hand, Masidi said 151 Covid-19 patients have been discharged from hospital or recovered.
He said 1,407 patients were still undergoing treatment, including 431 in hospitals, 965 in Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centres and nine in temporary detention centre or prison.
“There are 67 patients in intensive care unit and 16 require ventilators.”
On a separate matter, Masidi said the State Government through the State Covid-19 Disaster Management Committee had found many incidents of Covid-19 transmissions that originated from factories.
As such, he said factory managers were required to ensure the standard operating procedures (SOP) were complied with and recommended factories to refrain their workers from meeting or gathering at pantries.
He also called on enforcement agencies to step up their monitoring on SOP compliance in factories and compound those who violate the rules.
In addition, Masidi said the State Government had decided to expand the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) at Kepayan Prison to the prison quarters in Kg Matambai Penampang effective June 28 to July 11 due to the spread of Covid-19.
On Saturday, Masidi disclosed that 10 factories in Sabah, majority in Tawau, were found operating with a workforce of beyond the permitted capacity of 60 per cent.
He said the Sabah Covid-19 Disaster Management Committee had ordered the random inspections in the manufacturing sector in Tawau and Lahad Datu from June 13 to June 23.