110 new cases, one death in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah registered 110 new positive Covid-19 cases yesterday, bringing the cumulative number to 52,174, with the state capital dropping to single digit.

Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun hoped that those living in Kota Kinabalu and other districts would continue to comply with the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) to further drive the figures down.

Masidi, who is Sabah’s Covid19 official spokesperson, said a large contributor to the infections yesterday was from the existing Ladang Sungai Pin Cluster in Kinabatangan with 24 new cases reported. To date, the cluster has recorded a total of 30 cases.

He said a Covid-19 fatality was also reported in Kota Kinabalu, but no new cluster was detected.

Of the 110 new cases yesterday, he said Kinabatangan recorded 30 cases, followed by Kalabakan (14) and Kota Kinabalu (9).

Some 44 cases (40%) of the new cases were detected from close contact screenings, six cases (5.5%) from symptomatic screening, 48 cases (43.6%) from existing cluster, one from Social Security Organization (Socso) and 11 cases (10%) from other categories.

As of yesterday, Masidi said 122 Covid-19 patients had recovered and discharged from hospitals, bringing the total recoveries to 50,714.

He said 787 patients are still receiving treatment, including 310 in hospitals, 474 in Covid-19 Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centres (PKRC) and three in temporary detention centres.

“The number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care unit is 46 and 13 require ventilators.”

Meanwhile, Masidi said the PKRC at Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic, which was opened since October 9 last year, was officially closed yesterday in preparation for the reopening of the college.

On another note, he said an enhanced movement control order (EMCO) would be enforced on Kampung Tanah Merah, Kota Marudu starting today (February 23) to March 8, following a drastic increase in Covid-19 cases in the locality with 57 positive cases detected from 226 screening tests.

He said the EMCO enabled the Health Ministry to carry out targeted screening on close to 545 villagers in the locality and control the spread of Covid-19 within the community.

The State Government has also distributed 145,454 food baskets to the target groups so far.