Health DG: 489 new infections detected

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia recorded 489 new infections with two new clusters identified.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah yesterday said a majority of the cases were from the Tembok cluster in Kedah and also red zones in Sabah.

“There are 139 cases identified from the Temboko cluster from the Kedah jail, representing 28.4% of the cases of the day.

“Then, there are 34 cases recorded in other clusters, 314 cases in the community, and two imported cases, involving a foreigner and a local.

“The Malaysian returned from India and the foreigner returned from the Maldives,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

Sabah contributed the most cases at 282, followed by Kedah (153), Selangor (20), Penang (seven), Johor (six), four each in Perak and Kuala Lumpur, three in Sarawak, two each in Putrajaya and Pahang, and one each in Negri Sembilan and Kelantan.

Dr Noor Hisham said two new clusters were identified – the Bah Puchong cluster in Selangor and Perak, and the Penjara Reman cluster in Penang.

“The index cases for Bah Puchong were three people who had recently returned from Sabah and had been hospitalised,” he said.

“Two of their close contacts from two districts – Larut, Matang and Selama, and Kinta in Perak – have tested positive since.

“As of Wednesday, 39 people were screened and five tested positive in the cluster,” he said, adding that 34 people are still waiting for results.

Dr Noor Hisham said the index case of the Penjara Reman cluster was the 141st death involving an 85-year-old man who was found unconscious in jail and died at the Penang Hospital on Monday.

“So far, 286 people were screened in this cluster, seven tested positive and 201 are still waiting for their results,” he said, adding that for both clusters, the source of the infection was still being investigated.