A health worker carrying out a Covid-19 swab test. – Bernama photo
KUCHING (Aug 13): Sarawak recorded two Covid-19 deaths today as the number of new cases dip to 715 from yesterday’s record high 1,216, bringing its death toll to 479 and cumulative cases 85,318 since the pandemic began last year.
The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) in today’s statement said the 478th death involved an 85-year-old Kuching man who was brought in dead (BID) to the Sarawak General Hospital.
SDMC said the man was tested positive for COvid-19 on July 17, and had histories of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and stroke.
The other death in Serian involved a 61-year-old man who was found positive for Covid-19 on August 8.
He had histories of hypertension, chronic kidney disease and heart disease.
Kuching continued to record the majority of today’s positive cases at 291, the committee added.
The other district that recorded three-digit new cases is Serian with 184.
Other districts recorded two-digit new cases. They were Samarahan (36), Simunjan (29), Tebedu (26), Bintulu (23), Bau (22), Lundu (12), and 10 each in Sibu and Mukah.
Thirteen districts recorded one-digit new cases. They were Miri (9), Asajaya (9), Tatau (9), Selangau (9), Betong (8), Pusa (7), Lawas (6), Sebauh (5), Kanowit (4), Belaga (2), Lubok Antu (2), Dalat (1), and Telang Usan (1).
The remaining 17 districts did not record any new case for the day.
SDMC informed that today’s new cases consisted of 418 detected from individuals with contact to positive cases; 91 from existing active clusters; 108 from screenings of symptomatic individuals at health facilities; and 87 from other screenings at health facilities.
There were also 11 imported cases involving returnees from other states namely Johor (5), Kuala Lumpur (3), Sabah (2) and Selangor (1).
The committee also revealed that a total of 540 cases were asymptomatic, which accounted for 75.52 per cent of the cases today.
Meanwhile, SDMC said 794 cases have recovered and had been discharged from hospitals and quarantine and low-risk patients treatment centres (PKRC) across the state.
A total of 492 were discharged from the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) and PKRC, Unimas PKRC (69), Serian PKRC (67), Sibu Hospital and PKRC (42), Miri Hospital and PKRC (31), Mukah PKRC (31), Betong PKRC (28), Bintulu Hospital and PKRC (28), Sarikei Hospital and PKRC (2), Kapit Hospital and PKRC (2), and Lawas PKRC (2).
SDMC said the total number of recoveries in the state have now increased to 76,590 or 89.77 per cent out of the cumulative cases.
A total of 8,067 active cases were still warded and under medical supervision at hospitals and PKRC throughout the state, with 26 in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 15 on intubation.
The committee also recorded 382 Person-Under-Surveillance (PUS) cases today, bringing the current number of PUS cases being quarantined at 100 hotels across the state to date to 5,118.