KOTA KINABALU – A 29-year-old navy crew member on board the KD Mahawangsa has been identified as the case index of the Ocean Blue cluster, one of the five new clusters in Sabah today.
The Ocean Blue cluster also includes 98 other crew members who tested positive.
The Sabah Disaster Management Committee in a statement today said the cluster was detected after 185 crew members of the KD Mahawangsa were screened.
The ship arrived here from Perak on June 6.
“The case index is a 29-year-old man who showed symptoms on June 3 and was confirmed positive upon the arrival of the vessel at the naval base here,” said the committee.
Screening was carried out on June 7, with 98 confirmed cases so far, while others are awaiting results.
Health authorities have yet to pinpoint the cause of the infection as all the workers tested negative before boarding.
Sabah also reported the Segara cluster involving gas extraction workers at the Kinabalu Non-Associated Gas, with a 40-year-old electrical technician reported as the index case. Ten individuals were found positive, while 20 are awaiting results.
At the Samarang oil platform, a 34-year-old cook has been identified as the index case, with eight individuals found positive and 274 negative.
Residents of Kg Tg Aru Baru, which is currently under lockdown and experienced a fire recently, are now part of the Tg Aru Baru cluster.
The index case is a 44-year-old Philippine national. A total of 30 individuals were found positive, with 20 more confirmed today, and 83 awaiting results.
The Kg Bundu cluster in Kuala Penyu recorded a 45-year-old man as its index case, and detected Covid-19 cases among villagers from Kg Bundu Batu 4, Kg Bundu Batu 3, Kg Tenambak, Kg Sg Labuan, Pekan Kuala Penyu and Kg Kitang.
The index case was found positive on May 24, and later, his son was infected. Some 38 more cases were detected in the cluster today.
Health authorities said social activities held at an entertainment centre sparked the infections, which later spread to family members. – The Vibes, June 8, 2021
