[UPDATED] 28 cases of Covid-19 variants detected in a week, 4 in Sabah

KUALA LUMPUR – Twenty-eight cases of new variants of the SARS-COV-2 virus, with 25 cases being variants of concern (VOCs) and three cases being variants of interest (VOIs), were reported from June 23 to 30.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement today said of the 28 variant cases, 18 are Delta variants (B.1.617.2), five Beta variants (B.1.351), three Kappa variants (B.1.617.1) and two Alpha variants (B.1.1.7), reported Bernama.

In that period, he said, the two cases of the Alpha variant were detected in Sabah, two cases of the Beta variant were found in Pahang, and one case each in Melaka, Terengganu and Selangor.

Two cases each of the Delta variant were detected in Pahang, Sabah, Melaka and Kedah, four cases were found here, while three each were detected in Labuan and Negri Sembilan.

Three cases of the Kappa variant were recorded in Johor, he added.

With the latest cases, Sabah now has nine infections involving variants.

On the Alpha variant, Dr Noor Hisham said one case involved the Gusi cluster in Kg Gusi, Kinarut, Papar, and was identified on June 6.

Sabah’s two cases of the Delta variant are linked to the Ocean Blue cluster involving the crew aboard KD Mahawangsa, which was heading to the Sepanggar navy port in Kota Kinabalu from Perak.

The cluster has seen 157 navy men infected following the vessel’s arrival in Sabah on June 6.

The discovery of the Delta variant in the state has triggered anxiety among locals, with many erroneously believing cases in the state’s mainland originated from the island of Labuan.

Dr Noor Hisham said the latest developments bring the cumulative cases of the SARS-COV-2 virus categorised as VOCs and VOIs to 217.

“From the total number detected, 198 cases were VOCs, while 19 cases were VOIs.” – The Vibes, July 1, 2021