KOTA KINABALU: Sabah recorded the largest number of Covid-19-related deaths since the start of the pandemic with 71 cases on September 15.
Twenty-one of the fatal cases were in Kota Kinabalu, 18 in Sandakan and 15 in Tawau.
Lahad Datu and Penampang recorded three deaths each, two in Kota Belud and Papar, while Kota Marudu,
Putatan, Kalabakan, Pitas, Kinabatangan, Tuaran and Keningau one each.
State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun also said that one new workplace cluster
was recorded in Kinabatangan, Kluster Sungai Bendera after 72 positive cases found from 416 screenings.
“This cluster was first detected when a 42-year-old retail shopkeeper in an oil palm plantation had symptoms
and tested positive for Covid-19 on the same day, September 10, thus becoming the index case for this
cluster.
“The RTK AG screening test by the farm panel clinic showed a positive result with a grading of 100 per cent
and immediately referred to Kinabatangan Hospital for further treatment.
“Subsequent contact sampling activities found 71 more positive cases among social contacts, employees
and dependents.
“Investigations, Covid-19 sampling and disinfection are still ongoing in the field to assess the spread of
infection and the possible risk of infection spreading more widely to other nearby farm workers,” he said.
Masidi in his statement also said that new positive Covid-19 cases in Sabah rose above the 2,000 mark
again with a total of 2,015 cases, including 1,040 are backlog cases.
According to the positive case composition, only 660 of the total daily cases were vaccinated, 117 partly
vaccinated and 1,238 were not vaccinated.
Close contact screening contributed 55.48 per cent or 1,118 of the total cases, followed by symptomatic
screening 31.36 per cent, 81 cases from existing clusters and 184 from others.
A total of 665 patients were in Category 1, 1,220 in Category 2, five in Category 3, nine in Category 4 and nine
in Category 5, while 107 cases are still under investigation.
Most patients, or 89.58 per cent are Malaysian citizens.