COVID-19 | The highly contagious Covid-19 strain, dubbed D614G, has been detected among cases from the Benteng Lahad Datu (LD) cluster, said Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today.
Seeing that more than 600 positive cases have been detected among those returning from Sabah, he suspected that this mutation has now spread to the peninsular.
The top official said this in a briefing broadcasted from his home where he is presently undergoing home quarantine.
“The Institute of Medical Research (IMR) has conducted a study on 20 virus (samples) from the Sabah Benteng LD cluster.
“And the D614G mutation was detected,” he said, adding that the strain possibly originated from the Philippines or Indonesia.
“What we know for sure is that we already have 23 new clusters involving 604 individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from Sabah.
“So there is a high chance that they have brought this D614G mutation (out of Sabah),” Noor Hisham added.
A similar, but different, D614G mutation of the virus was previously detected in Covid-19 cases from the Tawau, Sungai, Bukit Tiram and Sivagangga clusters.
Two Filipino detainees who tested positive for Covid-19 on Sept 1 sparked the Benteng LD cluster.
As of noon today, the cluster recorded a total of 1,018 cases of which 230 remain active and in treatment. The cluster has recorded one death.
Following the two-week Sabah election campaign from Sept 12-25, the country recorded an uptick in Covid-19 cases especially across Sabah, Kedah and the Klang Valley.
After recording zero local transmissions back in July, Malaysia now has 75 active infection clusters. Four new clusters were reported today.
The worsening outbreak led the government to impose a conditional movement control order (MCO) in Sabah, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan. - Mkini
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