Tembok Miri Cluster: Inmates, prison staff to undergo swab-testing today

MIRI: The Ministry of Health (MoH) has ordered for all the inmates and personnel of Miri Prisons to undergo swab-testing today, following the emergence of the Tembok Miri Cluster on Friday.

According to Datuk Lee Kim Shin, the minister-in-charge of Miri Disaster Management Committee (MDMC), all the inmates and prison staff set for the screening have been placed under quarantine and are being monitored by police and People’s Volunteers Corps (Rela) personnel.

“Those who test positive for Covid-19 would be placed at the Covid-19 Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRC), which has been set up within the prisons’ compound and has begun operation today (yesterday).

“Two prison blocks have been identified by the management of Miri Prisons, Miri Hospital and the Heath Department for this purpose (PKRC),” he said in a statement yesterday.

Lee, who is Minister of Transport, said apart from the prisons, swab-testing would also be administered on all individuals in localities placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) covering longhouses, plantations, factories and other premises, by the end of this week. On the vaccination programme here, Lee said 278,608 doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been administered to the public.

According to him, there are eight public vaccination centres (PPVs) in Miri

– PPV Eastwood, PPV Curtin University, PPV Dewan Dato’ Lee Teck Fook, PPV Bekenu Community Centre, PPV Sepupok Community Centre, PPV Marudi Civic Centre, PPV Beluru Community Centre, and PPV Long Lama Open Hall.

Additionally, Miri also has two public hospital PPVs and 26 health clinic PPVs.

The overall capacity of all these PPVs is 18,600 vaccine doses a day.

“This (number) includes three mobile vaccination units, especially meant for bedridden individuals – each mobile team has a daily vaccination capacity of 100 doses,” said Lee.

On private PPVs, the minister said this division had seven PPVs operating at private hospitals and private general practitioners, with a total vaccination capacity of 3,716 doses a week.

Lee said to help expedite the vaccination programme here, there were also six industrial PPVs accommodating the plantation, logistics and manufacturing, oil and gas, mass retail (including shopping malls), and also timber and wood-based sectors, with overall vaccination capacity of 11,978 doses a day.