Covid-19 (April 16): 2,551 new cases, Sarawak erupts

 

COVID-19 | The Health Ministry reported 2,551 new Covid-19 cases, with Sarawak setting a new daily record of 960.

East Malaysia reported more infections with 43.28 percent (1,104 cases) of today's total cases compared to the Klang Valley (32.97 percent, 841 cases).

The number of active Covid-19 cases have risen for 10 days straight, while the number of patients requiring intensive care had been on a six-day uptrend.

• Active cases - 18,600
• Patients in ICU - 227
• Intubated - 91

States

Nearly a third of new cases (315) in Sarawak were attributed to a police training centre in Puncak Borneo, south of Kuching in what is known as the Jalan Puncak Borneo cluster.

The police training centre has been subjected to an enhanced movement control order (MCO).

New cases in Selangor (590) have not been this high since March 12 while Kuala Lumpur (245) have not seen such high numbers since Feb 28. 

As of yesterday, the R-naught for the entire country had risen to 1.17, up from a low of 0.81 on March 3. An R-naught of more than 1.00 suggests that the Covid-19 rate of spread is increasing.

The only regions where the figure was less than 1.00 are Penang, Johor, Labuan and Perlis.

Deaths

There were two Covid-19 related deaths reported today. The national death toll stood at 1,365.

The fatalities were reported in Selangor involving two male citizens. 

The Klang Valley alone accounted for 36.1 percent of total Covid-19 deaths in the country. 

The victims' details are recorded in Malaysiakini's Covid-19 tracker site.

Clusters

Some 346 clusters are still active, of which 68 saw new cases being added today.

According to the ministry, the most active cluster is the aforementioned Jalan Puncak Borneo cluster. This cluster was classified three days ago.

The second most active is the Jalan Bambangan cluster in Sarawak (99 new cases) and DTI Sandakan, Sabah (55).

Seven new clusters were classified by the Health Ministry today. Notably, one cluster - Jalan Kia Peng - involved an entertainment centre.

Two new clusters were discovered as a result of targeted screening of detention centres.

Details of the new clusters are as follows: 

Jalan Sultan Iskandar cluster
District(s): Bintulu, Sarawak
Locality/Source: Government building in Jalan Sultan Iskandar, Bintulu
Cluster category: Workplace
First case: April 7, index case reported symptoms
Total infected: 27 out of 440 screened

Jalan Balakong cluster
District(s): Hulu Langat, Selangor
Locality/Source: Construction company at Jalan Balakong, Seri Kembangan, Hulu Langat
Cluster category: Workplace
First case: March 25, targeted screening
Total infected: 19 out of 29 screened

Jalan Kia Peng cluster
District(s): Lembah Pantai, Kepong and Cheras, Kuala Lumpur
Locality/Source: Entertainment centre at Jalan Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur
Cluster category: Workplace
First case: April 13, index case reported symptoms
Total infected: 8 out of 18 screened

DTI Sandakan cluster
District(s): Sandakan, Sabah
Cluster category: Detention centre
First case: April 16, targeted screening
Total infected: 55 out of 641 screened

DTI Lenggeng cluster
District(s): Seremban and Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan
Cluster category: Detention centre
First case: April 10, targeted screening
Total infected: 70 out of 181 screened

Jepak cluster
District(s): Bintulu, Sarawak
Locality/Source: Social function at Kampung Jepak, Bintulu on April 3 
Cluster category: Community
First case: April 8, index case reported symptoms
Total infected: 50 out of 402 screened

Sri Layang cluster
District(s): Bentong, Pahang
Locality/Source: Educational institution at Sri Layang, Bentong
Cluster category: Education
First case: April 11, index case reported symptoms
Total infected: 16 out of 420 screened

-Mkini