KOTA KINABALU: Sabah recorded 305 new positive Covid-19 cases and six new clusters on Sunday, said Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun.
No death was reported.
Masidi, who is Sabah’s official Covid-19 spokesperson, said the new clusters were Kg Gusi in Papar, Jalan Utama in Sandakan, Sawit in Kinabatangan, Tamalang in Kota Belud, Ketiau Tombovo in Putatan, and Murni C involving Penampang and Nabawan.
He said the index case of Jalan Utama cluster was a 51-year-old female employee at MPI Generali Insurans Berhad, Sandakan branch who tested positive at a private clinic on May 28 after having fever the day before.
He said screening on 78 individuals detected 14 positive cases, comprising seven workplace contacts, five living in the same home and two social contacts.
“The virus is found to have spread within the premises of the insurance company.”
Meanwhile, Masidi said the Sawit cluster involved the spread of Covid-19 among the community and workplace at Syarimo oil plam plantation in Kinabatangan. The index case is a female clerk, 25, who was found to be positive when entering Mabello Paris 3 Clinic on May 31. Subsequent contact screenings detected 28 more positive cases, bringing the cumulative total to 29. Of the total cases, 14 were workplace contacts while the remaining 15 were infected dependants.
“All positive cases are currently being quarantined at Kinabatangan PKRC after assessment at Kinabatangan Hospital.
“To date, disinfection is still ongoing on site as well as evaluation on the risk of possible broader infections to other plantation workers.”
Masidi added that the Murni C cluster sparked from a last respect and burial ceremony at Kg Murni C, Nabawan on May 20 and 21.
He said the cluster was registered in Penampang when the index case, a 33-year-old man, who suffered from fever and breathing difficulty, tested positive for Covid-19 at Penampang Health Clinic on May 22.
Screening on 121 family members, close contacts and casual contacts found another 21 positive cases, one negative case while 86 individuals were still waiting for the results of their Covid-19 tests.
The Tamalang cluster in Kota Belud involved community infections with 27 cumulative positive cases.
Masidi said the index case, a 25-year-old man, tested positive following symptomatic screening in Kota Belud Hospital.
He said subsequent screening detected another 17 positive cases among close contacts as well as nine social contacts of a driving instructor at a driving academy in Kg Tamalang Kota Belud, as the index case had undergone driving training and test at the academy between May 23 and 27.
“The virus is believed to have spread through community social activities in the locality, such as Al-Quran classes, driving training and tests as well as visitation to family members and neighbours.”
As for the Kg Gusi cluster in Papar, Masidi said the cluster had recorded 25 cases, including six new cases on Sunday. The cluster stemmed from a 60-year-old man and his wife who started experiencing Covid-19 symptoms on May 28 and confirmed to have contracted virus by Papar Hospital. Sixteen of their housemates also tested positive.
Targeted screening conducted at Surau Al-Kautsar where the index case performed his prayers detected five more positive cases, while another two individuals were found to have contacted the virus through symptomatic screening in Papar Hospital and pre-treatment screening in Gleneagles Hospital.
The sixth cluster, Ketiau Tembovo in Putatan, involved a 63-year-old man who reported fever, cough, sore throat and loss of sense of smell and taste on May 27 before tested positive two days later. Contact screenings uncovered another eight cases, including two from the same house and six close contacts to the man who works at a chicken factory, QL Agroventure Sdn Bhd.
Of the 305 new infections reported, Masidi said Tawau recorded 72 cases, followed by Kota Kinabalu (41), Kudat (37), Kinabatangan (23), Sandakan (20), Penampang (20), Kota Belud (16), Papar (14), Beaufort (12), Nabawan (11) and Penampang (10), whereas Putatan, Kuala Penyu, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Semporna, Tuaran, Kalabakan, Pitas and Keningau reported single-digit rise in positive cases.
“Tenom has been reclassified from orange to yellow zone.”
Meanwhile, Masidi said 208 Covid-19 patients have recovered or discharged from hospitals.
He added that 1,681 patients were still undergoing treatment, including 500 in hospitals and 1,181 in Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centres (PKRC).
“A total of 98 patients are in intensive care units (ICU) and 29 require ventilators.”