MIRI – Just as Sarawak opened all its districts’ borders today, 19 people were admitted to intensive care units after being infected with Covid-19; 13 of them needing ventilators and the others with lung infections requiring oxygen support.
There were also 22 new fatalities confirmed today, plus 1,503 new cases, said the State Disaster Management Committee secretariat in a statement.
The deceased included seven individuals who were brought in dead to hospitals in Bintulu, Kuching, Kapit and Sri Aman districts.
Four people aged between 38 and 76 died in Bintulu, four in Kuching (ages 57 to 83), three in Kapit (ages 50 to 75), two in Sri Aman (61 to 80), three in Sibu (76 to 88), two in Miri (73 and 91), and one each in Sarikei (age 77), Samarahan (84), Betong (64) and Sarikei (68).
Five of the deceased did not suffer any comorbidities, the secretariat said.
Of the 1,503 new infections, 427 were recorded in Kuching, 203 in Miri, 159 in Bau, and 154 were in Sibu.
The day saw 40 districts in Sarawak being fully reopened for cross-district travelling.
All police roadblocks have also been dismantled as there is no more need for police permits to travel.
Yesterday, The Vibes reported former Miri mayor Datuk Lawrence Lai warning against hasty reopening of borders, noting that the state has the most Covid-19 cases with the Delta strain.
“Sarawak cannot blindly follow what the rest of Malaysia is doing as the state still has to deal with the Delta strain,” he said.
He said that the reopening needs to be staggered over a longer period. – The Vibes, October 6, 2021
