KOTA KINABALU – Sabah remains the state with the highest number of new Covid-19 cases today, with 489 new cases out of 629 new cases nationwide, or 77.7%.
Out of 489 new cases, 260 cases are close contacts of existing cases, 71 cases are from existing clusters, and 158 cases were detected from other screenings.
A total of five out of six Covid-19 deaths recorded in Malaysia today are from Sabah.
Three deaths were recorded in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, another death was reported in Hospital Duchess of Kent Sandakan, and one more in Semporna Hospital.
Health Director-General, Tan Sri Noor Hisham Abdullah announced these numbers during the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) press conference today.
Meanwhile, no new cluster was detected in Sabah.
However, seven current clusters in Sabah recorded 71 new cases.
Cluster Ramai-Ramai in Sandakan recorded 39 new cases (156 total), Cluster Kasih in Lahad Datu recorded 11 new cases (45 total), Benteng LD Cluster recorded 9 new cases (1040 total), Tujuh Serangkai Cluster in Tuaran recorded 5 new cases (94 total), Cluster Bestari in Sandakan recorded 3 new cases (23 total), Cluster Tanamera (29 total) and Cluster Kau Sing (16 total) both in Tawau recorded one new case each.
Two labs in Sabah processed 3,926 samples, while the Royal Malaysian Air Force sent 5,340 samples to Kuala Lumpur.
The MOH has sent 75,000 Rapid Test Kits (RTK) antigens with an additional 25,000 RTK antigens to be sent next week, which makes a total 100,000 RTK antigens to be sent to Sabah.
“Similar with the figures for Malaysia, Sabah’s Covid-19 cases are also 70 to 80% of patients in Stage 1 and Stage 2, which are those without symptoms or with minor symptoms.
“These patients are low-risk Covid-19 patients that we place in quarantine centres so that they would not infect others, for at least ten days as that is the duration when the virus is most infectious,” he said.
Noor Hisham also said the Covid-19 situation in Sabah is a crisis and will take an “all-out war” to end it.
The ministry had sent 492 medical personnel to Sabah since a month ago.
On October 14, 175 medical personnel, 48 healthcare workers and 767 personnel from various categories were sent from other states to Sabah to help with the Covid-19 situation.
While the ministry has sent assistance to Sabah, Noor Hisham said the ministry is using the whole government and whole society approach in dealing with Covid-19.
He said the ministry welcomes the ‘whole society’ to lend a hand, such as non-government organisations that wish to assist, especially on the field.
The Sabah Disaster Management Committee (Covid-19) revealed the new Covid-19 cases recorded today by district.
Kota Kinabalu recorded the highest new cases (114) followed by Sandakan (93) and Tawau (77).
Other districts with new cases are: Semporna (66), Lahad Datu (46), Papar (17), Tuaran (10), Penampang (9), Ranau (9), Kinabatangan (5), Keningau (1), Beaufort (3), Putatan (19), Kunak (4), Kota Belud (1), Sipitang (1), Tambunan (3), Beluran (1), Kota Marudu (1), Kudat (4), Pitas (1) and Tenom (3).
Nabawan, Kuala Penyu, Telupid and Tongod meanwhile recorded zero cases. – The Vibes, October 16, 2020
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