Four new deaths, 50% surge in Covid-19 variant infections in S’wak

SARAWAK has been placed on heightened alert as a new variant of Covid-19 has caused four new deaths during the third week of this month plus a nearly 50 percent rise in confirmed infection cases statewide.

Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas today announced that three deaths occurred in state capital Kuching and another in Miri city.

"From December 13 to 23, Sarawak saw 942 new cases of Covid-19 infections due to the new variants (JN.1 and HK.3) and four deaths of infected patients.

"Three of the deaths were in Kuching and the other in Miri,” said Uggah, who chairman of the state Disaster Management Committee.

He added that for that December 13 to 23 period, the number of infections surged by 49.29 percent compared to the week before.

"We are calling on the public to be very vigilant. The new variants detected in Sarawak are spreading," he said in a statement.

Uggah called for more stringent practice of preventive measures such as wearing of facemasks in public and observation of personal hygiene.

Those who have come down with serious sicknesses are urged to immediately get themselves tested to see if they are infected by the virus.

The emergence of the new variants in Sarawak was first announced on December 21.

The highly infectious Omicron subvariants of JN.1 and HK.3, which are capable of multiple mutations, have been detected in the districts of Kuching, Samarahan and Sibu.

University Sarawak Malaysia’s Institute of Health and Community Medicine had made the discoveries.

The institute’s head Prof Dr David Parera had said that these variants were the same as the ones rapidly spreading throughout the United States.

"The Omicron HK.3 and JN.1 are detected from successful tests carried out from samples taken in Kuching, Samarahan and Sibu during sequencing from November to December.

"For the other areas in Sarawak, we are still not sure about these variants as there is still a lack of data.

"The JN.1 is especially rapidly spreading, including in the USA,” he said. "It is especially highly transmissible, averting immunity and can have multiple mutations.”

The institute also warned the public to take extra precautions.

Dr Perera said the institute had forwarded a report on the latest developments to the state Disaster Management Committee.

The authorities are bracing for this latest wave of Covid-19 attack as hospitals in Kuching and Miri experience a surge in admissions.

Meanwhile, a total of 20 Covid-19 infections were detected among flood evacuees at relief centres in Kelantan and Terengganu since December 22 until yesterday.

Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said that of the total, 15 cases were reported in Kelantan, while the rest were in Terengganu.

All the infected patients are in stable condition, with 17 falling in category two, two in category three, and one in category four.

“The category four Covid-19 case involved a senior citizen with uncontrolled hypertension. However, the patient was discharged from Jeli Hospital in Kelantan yesterday,” he told reporters at the flood relief centre in SK Jeli 1 in Kelantan. – The Vibes, December 31, 2023