Travel to Tawau sparks new Covid-19 cluster in KL

 

COVID-19 | A new Covid-19 cluster has emerged in Kuala Lumpur after the index case travelled to the east coast of Sabah which is now the new epicentre of the outbreak.

Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a statement this evening, said the Setapak cluster originated from Patient 10,689.

"The case had a travel history to Tawau and Semporna, Sabah from Sept 17 to Sept 20.

The patient started to experience fever, coughing, sore throat, muscle ache and diarrhoea since Sept 21.

"The case was admitted to a medical centre on Sept 25 and a Covid-19 screening on the same day returned positive," it said.

Patient 10,689 also infected his housemate (Patient 10,770) and a friend (Patient 10,771). All of them are now being treated at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

This means the new cluster now has three cases.

Patient 10,770 and Patient 10,771 are part of the 150 new cases reported today.

Noor Hisham also reported the emergence of another two new Covid-19 clusters, both in Sabah.

They are the Buang Sayang cluster in Sipitang and the Kampung Sakong cluster in Semporna.

Noor Hisham said the Buang Sayang cluster started from Patient 10,265 who had travelled to Sipitang, Sabah from Sept 7 to Sept 20 and began to show symptoms on Sept 19.

He was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.

Following active case detection, three of the patient's close contact were found positive with Covid-19 and another six are awaiting results.

As for the Kampung Sakong cluster, it was traced to Patient 10,154.

The case, who is asymptomatic, was found through community testing on Sept 18. The patient was admitted to Tawau Hospital.

Following the discovery, active case detection was initiated and eight other people related to the patient were found to be positive.

Another 57 people are waiting for their results.

Noor Hisham said measures are being taken to curb the spread and all affected areas have been sanitised. - Mkini