KOTA KINABALU – An alarmingly large number of young children, including babies, have been infected with Covid-19 in Sabah.
There are currently 235 cases involving children aged between 1 and 5, and 34 cases involving infants under the age of one in the state, said state Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun today.
“Another 1,527 cases involve those aged between 18 and 59 years, 228 cases involve those between 6 and 17 years, and 228 cases involve senior citizens above the age of 60,” he said.
He stressed that close contacts are the main contributors to the state’s infection tally.
A big consolation is that 95% or 19,104 members of the 20,109-strong civil service in Sabah have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
The remaining 5% comprise those waiting for an appointment or those who cannot be inoculated due to medical reasons, he said.
In his daily briefing, Masidi said the state today recorded 46 new deaths from Covid-19, while 5,003 people are undergoing treatment for the virus.
A total of 1,487 of patients are in government hospitals, 3,457 are in low-risk quarantine centres, 50 are in temporary detention centres and prisons, and nine are in private medical facilities.
Of these, 214 are in intensive care units and 75 need ventilators, he said.
Masidi, who is Sabah’s local government and housing minister, also reported that the state recorded 2,578 new cases today.
Of these, 1,064 cases or 41.3% comprise backlogged samples from two to three days ago, 171 or 6.63% comprise backlogged samples from four to five days ago, and 207 cases or 8.03% were from samples over five days old.
He said 2,507 cases or 97% of the total are classified under Categories 1 and 2 (mildly symptomatic), while 90 cases are under Categories 3 (pneumonia), 4 (pneumonia and requiring oxygen support) and 5 (critical condition requiring ventilator support).
Meanwhile, 26 more cases are still being investigated, he added. – The Vibes, August, 30, 2021
