MIRI – A renowned Sarawak leader has just died from medical complications after having been infected with Covid-19.
The state has just revealed the presence of a new subvariant of the Delta strain.
These two incidents show that Sarawak is far from ready to hold its 12th state elections.
Covid-19 is still very much a threat in Sarawak, and if Chief Minister (CM) Datuk Abang Johari Openg and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) component chiefs insist on going ahead with the polls, they are asking for trouble.
Sarawak Deputy CM Tan Sri James Jemut Masing died at about 7am today due to medical complications after having been infected with Covid-19.
He is reported to have died at Normah Sarawak Medical Centre in Kuching. Masing was the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president and Baleh assemblyman.
The 72-year-old politician had earlier been brought to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) after he tested positive for Covid-19 on September 28.
He said in a Facebook post on the same day that he was a Category 3 patient with symptoms of fever, cough, loss of appetite, and “water in my lungs”, but that he was coping.
“As I lay on my ICU hospital bed in SGH, Kuching, trying to recover from a Covid-19 attack, I thought that after two full doses of the vaccine, I would be safe from a Covid-19 attack.
“But I am not safe! I just hope the severity will not be there. Only time will tell,” he said.
Borneo Post reported that Masing’s brother, Jantai, had passed away on May 31 from Covid-19. Jantai’s wife had also succumbed to the virus a few days earlier.
Masing – who had been Baleh assemblyman since 1983 – started his political career when he joined the now defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak, before joining forces with several other leaders to set up PRS in 2004.
He joined the state cabinet and served as the tourism minister in 1996. Subsequently, he held three other portfolios after defending the Baleh seat for eight consecutive terms, before being appointed as Sarawak deputy CM II in January 23, 2017.
Masing’s death is believed to have been a result of internal organ damage from Covid-19, despite the fact that he was only in Category 3 when infected at the end of last month.
Newly-discovered Delta subvariants
Yesterday, the discovery of new subvariants of the Delta strain in Sarawak was recorded – namely, the Delta AY.23, according to the Institute of Health and Community Medicine at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
Head of the institute, Prof Dr David Perera, said he had informed the State Disaster Management Committee on this latest discovery.
“The Delta AY.23 subvariant found in Sarawak is the same type that is fuelling the wave of unusual Covid-19 infection surge in Singapore.
“The AY.23 in Sarawak was found among 780 more Delta cases on October 8.
“This is the dominant variant circulating in Sarawak now,” he said in a press statement.
Dr Perera said besides AY.23, the institute also discovered the AY.24 subvariant in Kuching, Miri, and Sibu; AY.33 in Bintulu; AY.34 in Bintulu and Samarahan; and AY.37 in Kuching.
The AY.23 is the most contagious – as seen in Singapore, he added.
Dr Perera said his institute will continue conducting more sampling and testing of the coronavirus cases in Sarawak.
The state has the highest Delta transmissions, the highest ICU admission rates, and a surging number of brought-in-dead cases in the country.
Surely, Johari must look with concern on these latest developments in Sarawak – the death of Masing today and the subvariants that have emerged.
He must admit that it is still too risky to hold the polls that can endanger the lives of some three million Sarawakians. – The Vibes, October 31, 2021
