Sarawak records five new Covid-19 cases, total now 50

Sarawak says 38 of its 50 confirmed Covid-19 cases are linked to the tabligh gathering in Kuala Lumpur.

KUCHING: Sarawak confirmed five new Covid-19 cases today, taking the total to 50.

Two of the patients are being treated at Sarawak General Hospital, two at Sibu Hospital and one at Bintulu Hospital.

The state disaster management committee said 38 of the total number of cases are linked to the tabligh gathering in Kuala Lumpur from Feb 27 to March 1 and the rest are sporadic cases.

It said there are 115 new persons under investigation (PUI), making it a total of 655. Of this, 285 have tested negative while 320 are waiting for laboratory results.

Yesterday, a 60-year-old Sarawakian became the country’s first fatality. David Cheng, a pastor from the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Kuching, died at 11am at the Sarawak General Hospital.

State Housing and Local Government Minister Dr Sim Kui Hian, who is also in charge of health matters, said authorities had yet to identify Cheng’s source of infection.

However, he said, the state health department had traced 193 persons who had been in close contact with Cheng, all of whom are undergoing home quarantine.

Among them were Sarawak’s tourism minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii, who were present at a school reunion attended by Cheng last week.

Karim is in isolation at home, while Yii, who tested positive, is under quarantine at the Sarawak General Hospital. - FMT