S'wak new cases hit record high of 229

KUCHING: Sarawak has recorded two more Covid-19 fatalities yesterday with the highest number of new daily cases at 229 cases.

State Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said Sibu reported the highest number of positive cases yesterday with 168 cases, followed by Kuching (nine), Kanowit (seven), Sri Aman (seven), Lubok Antu (seven), Subis (two) and Bintulu (one), which raised cumulative cases in the state to 2,931.

“There is an increase of 112 cases involving the Pasai Cluster in Sibu, taking the total infection tally to 1,094. A total of 10,250 people were screened, of which 7,500 people came out negative and 1,656 others are awaiting their results,” he said at the daily press conference on Covid-19 yesterday.

The Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister 1 said the state's Covid19 death toll now stood at 24 cases.

He said the 23rd death involved a 48-year-old local man who was admitted to the Miri Hospital on Jan 19 for breathing difficulties.

Uggah said the man was screened for Covid-19 on Jan 20 and confirmed positive on Jan 21. He died on the same day.

“The 24th death involved a 66-year-old local man who was admitted to the Sibu Hospital on Jan 17, also for breathing difficulties and had to be intubated.

“He was pronounced dead on Jan 22. The Covid-19 screening on Jan 17 came back positive and the case is from the Pasai Cluster,” he added.

Meanwhile, Uggah said the committee has agreed to set the maximum attendance limit for funeral ceremony to 50 people and only 30 people were allowed to be at the burial site in areas placed under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).

For areas under the MCO, he said only immediate family members were allowed during the ceremony and at the burial site, and the ceremony guidelines could be obtained from the Unit for Other Religions (UNIFOR) and the Sarawak Islamic Religious Department.

On the current Covid-19 situation in Miri Hospital, state health director Dr Chin Zin Hing confirmed that there were 20 hospital staff who had tested positive for the illness and a majority of them were from the Emergency Department.

“When there are positive cases among hospital staff, we have to quarantine their close contacts and currently, almost 200 staff had to be quarantined,” he said. - Bernama