By Karen Bong
KUCHING, April 15: A workplace cluster has emerged at a government department in Jalan Sultan Iskandar in Bintulu with 26 new Covid-19 cases reported today.
State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas disclosed that infections among the civil servants in the department resulted in the emergence of the Jalan Sultan Iskandar Cluster.
“The index case or Case 18,172 involved a local man was detected via symptomatic screening at Bintulu Health Clinic on April 5 and found positive on April 6.
“The man frequently carried out works on the ground in and around Bintulu town and Sebauh District and was possibly infected in the community,” he said during a press conference to give daily updates on the Covid-19 situation in Sarawak here today.
Further investigation and screening of family members, colleagues and casual contact to the cases revealed 25 more positive cases, added Uggah.
“A total of 440 individuals have been screened whereby 358 tested negative and 56 are still awaiting lab test results,” he said.
All positive cases have been referred to Bintulu Hospital and admitted to the Quarantine and Low-Risk Centre (PKRC) Bintulu for isolation and treatment.
With this latest cluster, Sarawak now has 49 active clusters out of which nine clusters recorded an increase in infections with 123 new cases today.
Apart from Jalan Sultan Iskandar, the Bulatan Aman Cluster picked up three cases, Abak Bon Cluster (77 cases), Jalan Puncak Borneo Cluster (3 cases), Sungai Kawi Cluster (22 cases in Meradong and 2 cases in Kanowit), Batu Gong Cluster (7 cases), Chupak Cluster (3 cases), Jalan Baji Cluster (4 cases), and Disso Cluster (1 case).
Meanwhile, the State Health Department has also declared the end of the Bukit Tunggal Cluster in Julau after no new cases were reported in the past 28 days. — DayakDaily
