KUCHING, March 26: As a result of close mingling, a 46-year-old woman has spread Covid-19 to 49 other people at Kampung Batu Gong in Siburan, Serian here, thus resulting in the emergence of a new cluster dubbed Batu Gong today.
Batu Gong Cluster in Serian is one of two new Covid-19 clusters declared in Sarawak today.
Following the outbreak in the village settlement, a two-week Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) has been enforced effectively today 12.01am until April 8 as at 11.59pm.
The State Disaster Management Committee, in its daily update report on the Covid-19 situation in Sarawak, revealed that this community cluster was identified after the index case or Case 14,157 tested positive from symptomatic screening at Siburan Health Clinic on March 19.
The self-employed woman is believed to have been infected through community transmission.
The infection then spread to other individuals in the said village settlement through close mingling and close contact.
Further investigation and contact tracing on family members as well as close and casual contacts found 49 more people have been infected with Covid-19.
As of today, a total of 496 individuals have been screened whereby 146 were negative and 300 are still waiting for lab test results.
All 50 positive cases are isolated and treated at Quarantine and Low-Risk Treatment Centre in Serian.
Meanwhile, another cluster was declared in Miri dubbed Lorong Desa Senadin after 30 people tested positive for Covid-19. It involved a maritime training centre at Lorong Desa Senadin in Lutong.
With two more clusters declared, Sarawak now has a total of 33 active clusters, out of which eight clusters have reported an increase in daily infections today.
Sarawak reported 213 new Covid-19 cases today with Bintulu topping the list of daily infections with 46 cases followed by Miri (39), Sibu (35), Kuching and Serian (23 each), Kapit (14), Samarahan (11), Julau (8), Sarikei and Sri Aman (6 each) while Limbang and Tebedu has one each.
This thus increased the state tally to 15,176. -DayakDaily
