Latest Covid-19 wave highly infectious
Dr Sim warns infections pushing positive cases higher have high viral load, spread faster and showing symptoms earlier
Laboratory studies have shown the viral load is very high. It is however the same virus. The higher viral load means it will spread faster and easier. Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian
KUCHING: Local Government and Housing Minister Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian warned yesterday that the current wave of Covid19 cases in Kuching district has a very high infectious rate due to high viral load.
He said many recent positive cases started showing symptoms on the third to fi h day instead of the typical 10th day onwards as seen in cases prior to the current spike.
“Laboratory studies have shown the viral load is very high. It is however the same virus. The higher viral load means it will spread faster and easier.
“So you see a lot of infected young people showing the symptoms on the third to fi h day instead of the 10th to 14th day. We have detected 20 positive cases in the new Green Hill Cluster.
“The people had come on their own to private hospitals and clinics to do their own testing instead of waiting for our health officers to come to them,” he told reporters a er joining Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah in visiting the Covid-19 Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) operations centre in Kampung Haji Baki, here yesterday.
On that note, Dr Sim advised those affected or who had been to red zones to go for a second Covid-19 swab test even though they had tested negative in the first test.
He said having a negative first test did not mean a person had not been infected, as the incubation period for Covid-19 is up to 14 days.
“The Sarawak government’s policy is different from Peninsular Malaysia. We always insist you go for your second swab test on the 10th day if your first test is negative.
“One can develop the positive symptoms on the 10th to 14th day,” he said.
Dr Sim also revealed that there has been no repeat or relapsed patient detected among cases from the current outbreak.