KUCHING, Feb 16: Six new Covid-19 clusters have emerged in Kuching, Samarahan, Sibu, Bintulu and Kapit today.
They are the Geronggang Cluster and Mas Merah Cluster in Sibu, Univista Cluster in Samarahan, Kampung Sungai Maong Cluster in Kuching, Gelong Cluster in Kapit and Kidurong Dua Cluster in Bintulu.
With Keranji Tabuan Cluster in Kuching declared ended today, there are now 21 active clusters in Sarawak.
The State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) in a statement today revealed that Sibu’s Geronggong Cluster is a community cluster involving a nursing home located at Jalan Geronggang.
The index case of the cluster is Case 6,072, a 77-year-old male resident of the home, found to be positive for Covid-19 on Feb 10 through symptomatic screening.
The index case was possibly infected in the community while receiving treatment at a healthcare centre in Sibu.
Contact tracing and active case detection (ACD) conducted in the home has so far uncovered 40 positive cases with two new cases reported today.
Up until Feb 16 as of 12pm, a total of 41 individuals have been screened, with 41 positive with no individuals awaiting lab test results.
The Geronggong Cluster has also recorded one fatality involving a 73-year-old male resident of the home. However, the authorities are awaiting post-mortem results to confirm the cause of death.
The Mas Merah Cluster is also a community cluster involving a nursing home at Jalan Teng Chin Hua in Sungai Merah in Sibu.
The index case is Case 6,689, a female staff of the home, which was detected through close contact screening on Feb 13.
Following that, an ACD operation was carried out at the home involving all residents and staff, in which nine cases were discovered with two new cases reported today.
As of today, a total of 48 individuals have been screened with 10 cases positive while 38 individuals are still awaiting results.
All positive cases from these two clusters are currently being isolated and treated at Sibu Hospital.
As for the Univista Cluster in Samarahan, it encompasses three localities namely Kampung Muara Tuang, Taman Univista and Taman Samarax.
The index case is Case 6,295, who is a 33-year-old satay seller trading in front of his residence in Taman Univista and was detected via symptomatic screening on Feb 6.
Subsequently, contact tracing and ACD in the three localities led to an increase of cases to 44 with 19 infections reported today.
Up until today, a total of 184 individuals have been screened whereby 45 were positive while 43 are still awaiting results. All positive cases are isolated and treated at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH).
The Kampung Sungai Maong Cluster in Kuching involved residents of Kampung Sungai Maong with the index case being Case 6,292 who was detected via symptomatic screening at a health clinic on Feb 11.
The case is a 38-year-old woman who is a security guard at SGH. Contact tracing among close contacts and colleagues revealed 17 cases out of which 10 were detected today.
As of today, a total of 50 individuals have been screened with 18 positive cases while 32 are still awaiting results. All positive cases are also isolated and treated at SGH.
The Gelong Cluster in Kapit involved the community of Taman Sri Gelong at Jalan Selirik with the index case being Case 6,581 who is a 47-year-old local man detected via symptomatic screening at a health clinic on Feb 13.
An investigation found that the case had attended his father’s funeral on Jan 30 until Feb 2 with the ceremony only involving close family members.
Subsequently, close and social contact tracing discovered 13 positive cases. As of today, a total of 86 individuals have been screened whereby 14 were positive while 72 are still awaiting results.
All patients are isolated and treated at the Quarantine and Low-Risk Treatment Centre (PKRC) in Kapit.
The Kidurong Dua Cluster in Bintulu involves a national primary school located in Kidurong with the index cases being Case 6,184 who is a 36-year-old student assistant and was detected following symptomatic screening on Feb 9.
The close contact screening at the said workplace and for family members discovered 11 positive cases with five cases reported today.
Up until today, a total of 74 individuals have been screened whereby 12 were positive while 62 were negative. All patients are currently being isolated and treated at Bintulu Hospital. — DayakDaily
