MIRI – The Covid-19 infection of 14.49% rate in Sarawak has not only reached one of the highest levels in Malaysia but has also gone beyond the permissible infection rate of 5% set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Even more worrying is the disclosure of the foreign P.3 Covid-19 variant, which has been detected in the districts of Kuching and Samarahan.
Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii shared these latest figures obtained from the state Health Department via social media, saying that this means the pandemic situation in Sarawak is beyond serious.
“From the data collected from the health authorities, the Covid-19 positive rate of transmission in Sarawak (as of yesterday) is 14.49%. This is almost three times above the 5% positive rate considered by the WHO as an acceptable rate,” he said.
“This very high positive rate of Covid-19 transmission per 100,000 population in Sarawak is one of the highest rates of transmission in the entire country now, and it is very serious.
“Also, there is a high percentage of sporadic cases of infections – which means those positive carriers are not linked to any known clusters in Sarawak. All these factors show that the Covid-19 virus is very widespread among our communities, both in urban and rural areas.”
Dr Yii, who is with Sarawak DAP, said there is an urgent need to ramp up Covid-19 screening and swab tests among the grassroots, especially in the rural areas where health facilities are lacking.
According to WHO guidelines, the higher the percentage of positive rate, the higher the transmission will be.
The war against Covid-19 has gone into fifth gear following the emergence of the P.3 Covid-19 variant in the state.
Sarawak Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said that the latest finding of the P.3 variant in Sarawak has placed the state authorities on high alert.
“UNIMAS (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak) and SCOVAG (Sarawak Covid Vaccine Advisory Group) have made the latest findings of the P.3 variant in their genetics survey concerning this 4th wave in Sarawak,” he said.
“The P.3 variant was first reported in the Philippines in March and was identified in import cases in the UK.
“We in Sarawak need to be more vigilant and alert than ever before now with the emergence of this P.3 variant in the state,” said Dr Sim, who is also an advisor to the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee.
As of yesterday evening, the death toll in Sarawak stood at 182, with some 32,000 cases statewide. – The Vibes, May 3, 2021
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