KOTA KINABALU – One of the recent Covid-19 Beta variant cases in Malaysia was detected in Sabah, bringing the state’s total variant of concern (VOC) infections to five.
Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement today said six new VOC cases were detected in the country from June 20 to 22.
However, Sabah health authorities have not disclosed the locations of the cases in the state, except for one involving the Alpha variant (B.1.1.1.7) detected between April 24 and May 7. The patient is a non-citizen in Sandakan without a travel history.
A new cluster was detected in Brumas, Kalabakan, today, the second after one detected on December 19. The cluster’s index case is a 50-year-old teacher at SK Brumas who is also a mosque committee member at Bruma Camp in the Sabah Softwood estate. He tested positive on June 12.
State Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun in a statement said the index case sparked infections in the local community and at his workplace, adding that among the 19 patients are his wife and their two children.
The coronavirus has also spread to the woman’s workplace at Bruma Camp. So far, 75 close contacts have been screened.
Another cluster detected today is Paris Tiga in Kinabatangan, involving a Sawit Bell palm oil factory. The index case is a 41-year-old clerk who tested positive on June 18. She infected 28 individuals at the facility’s worker housing.
Sabah today saw 203 fresh infections, most of which are in Sandakan (31), followed by Kinabatangan (29) and Kota Kinabalu (25).
The state has two green-zone districts, namely Tenom and Beluran. – The Vibes, June 24, 2021
