Dr Sim. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (Sept 4): Over 60 per cent of yesterday’s 696 new Covid-19 cases here were detected through close contact tracing in 203 locations, said Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian.
The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) advisor said that 206 cases out of the total were linked to family clusters, 76 cases connected to workplace clusters and 45 others to social clusters.
“Localities that reported two-digit cases were Taman Malihah (20), Taman Sukma (18), Kampung Tabuan Cemerlang (12) and Kampung Tabuan Hilir (10),” he said in a Facebook post last night.
Dr Sim, who is Local Government and Housing Minister, said 172 cases of the total 229 new infections reported in Serian were detected through close contact tracing in 75 locations.
He said 42 of these cases were symptomatic during testing while 23 other individuals were detected through self-testing.
Localities in Serian that reported two-digit cases were Kampung Bunga (26), Kampung Menjau (16) and Kampung Maang (14).
According to him, many countries have recently found that being fully vaccinated is not good enough to stop the surge of Covid-19 cases due to the Delta variant.
For better protection, he said they had begun a booster dose for the elderly and the vulnerable group.
However, Dr Sim stressed that being fully vaccinated works well in reducing the severity of the disease and fatalities.
“As Covid-19 is not going to go away overnight, we need to incorporate all non-pharmaceutical interventions and public health measures.”
He appealed to everyone to continue practising and upholding self-discipline as well as embracing the new normal given that the society is not reverting to the old ways any time soon.
“Let’s play our role, do our part and not panic or be misled by fake news. Together we shall overcome Covid-19,” he added.