Covid-19: Five new cases in Sarawak

KUCHING: Sarawak recorded five new cases of Covid-19 yesterday, two each in Kuching and Miri and one in Sibu, including one local transmission in Kuching, bringing the total number of positive cases in the state to 1,166.

According to the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), case 1,162 in Kuching is a Sarawakian man who is a close contact to a positive case in the Stutong Cluster.

He went for a Covid-19 screening on Jan 4 and tested positive for the virus the next day. He did not have any travel history outside the country or to other high-risk areas in the country.

He is a close contact who shares the same workplace as case 1,118. He is asymptomatic and has been warded at Sarawak General

Hospital (SGH) for further treatment.

Case 1,118 is also a Sarawakian man, who had a fever and cough on Dec 29, and tested positive for Covid-19 on Dec 31.

He works in the telecommunications industry and sought treatment at a private clinic before taking a swab test at a private hospital.

The second positive case in Kuching is a Sarawakian man who travelled to Kuching from Miri on Jan 4 for medical treatment at a private hospital here, and went for pre-treatment screening. He went for a second screening at SGH the next day and tested positive. He had travelled to Kuala Lumpur from Miri on Dec 14-20 and went for quarantine upon his return.

He did two rT-PCR tests whilst in quarantine on Dec 22 and 28, and both were negative. He complained of a cough since Nov 23. The case is categorised as an imported case as he may have contracted it while in Kuala Lumpur based on clinical investigations.

In Miri, case 1,164 is a Sarawakian who entered the state via Miri Airport from Labuan International Airport on Dec 24. He is asymptomatic and was warded at Miri Hospital for further treatment.

The case was reported as an imported case.

The second case in Miri is a Malaysian man from Pahang who is friend to three positive Covid19 cases (cases 1,155, 1,156 and 1,157) who returned to Sarawak from Peninsular Malaysia via Miri Airport from Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Dec 31. He is asymptomatic and was warded at Miri Hospital for further treatment. The case was recorded as an imported case.

His three friends were recorded as new positive cases by SDMC on Tuesday.

The sole imported case in Sibu is a Sarawakian woman who returned to Sibu from Johor via the Senai International Airport on Jan 4. She had a swab test at the airport upon arrival in Sibu. She was travelling with her two children and was given quarantine orders and wristband. They were picked up by a relative from the airport to their home at Taman Satria, Sibu using a personal vehicle.

A rT-PCR test was conducted on the trio which returned positive for the mother, while her children tested negative. She is asymptomatic and was warded at Sibu Hospital for further treatment. Close contacts to the case are actively being conducted. The case was recorded as an imported case.

Meanwhile, three clusters remain active, which are Bah Sayap Cluster in Miri, Stutong in Kuching Cluster and Mador Cluster in Meradong.

Bah Sayap Miri Cluster has five cases, with 70 people screened, 42 negative and 23 awaiting test results. The cluster did not record any new cases yesterday.

Mador Cluster has eight cases, with 1,237 people screened with 308 negative and 921 awaiting test results. The cluster did not record any new cases yesterday.

The Stutong Cluster recorded one new case yesterday, bringing the total number of cases to 11. A total of 165 people were screened, with 148 negative and six awaiting test results.

Meanwhile, SDMC also informed that two cases were allowed to be discharged from Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), bringing the total number of recoveries in the state to 1,081 or 92.71 per cent of the overall cases.

“There are 64 patients who are still being treated and isolated, of which 27 are receiving treatment at SGH, 16 at Miri Hospital, 15 at Sibu Hospital, five in Bintulu Hospital and one at Sungai Buloh Hospital. None are being treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or require breathing assistance.”

No new deaths were reported and the state’s death toll remains at 19.

On the number of personsunder-investigation (PUI), SDMC said 42 new cases were reported with seven awaiting test results.

Kuching, Miri, Sibu, Bintulu, Meradong, Bukit Mabong and Lawas remained as yellow zones with a total of 27 local transmissions reported over the past 14 days. The remaining 33 districts remain as green zones.