Covid-19 (Oct 20): 862 new cases, 58 deaths in Sabah in a month

 

COVID-19 | The Health Ministry reported 862 new Covid-19 cases as of noon today with three more deaths reported.

Leading indicators in brief:

• Active cases = 7,681 ↑ (15th straight day a new record is set)

• Patients in intensive care = 95 ↓ (four less than the previous day)

• Intubated patients = 29 ↓ (three less than the previous day)

• Deaths = three

All three new deaths involved patients in Sabah, bringing the total number of deaths attributed to the coronavirus to 193.

Over the past 30 days, the total Covid-19 death toll for Sabah alone was 58 against five reported in other states.

Details of the three new victims, all with prior history of illnesses, are as follows:

• 'Patient 13,509', Malaysian male, 78, passed away at the Tawau Hospital.

• 'Patient 14,987', Malaysian female, 59, passed away at the Tawau Hospital.

• 'Patient 22,036', Malaysian female, 90, passed away at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu.

From the patient's case numbers, it would be likely that Patient 13,509 and 14,987 were admitted to hospital earlier this month, while Patient 22,036 was only a confirmed Covid-19 case as of noon today.

Of the 862 new cases, only two involved import cases. New cases attributed to recent travel to Sabah remained in the low single digits (four).

Sabah continued to lead the new case count (673), but the number of cases in Klang Valley territories - Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (139 new cases in all) - have risen compared to yesterday.

At a press conference in Putrajaya today, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there are 26 active clusters in Selangor of which nine involved workplace transmissions and one cluster related to a shopping mall.

In all, 18 active clusters were caused by local transmissions, not linked to recent travel to Sabah.

"This situation is a result of high population density and mobility among Selangor residents and visitors," said Noor Hisham.

A breakdown of the source of new cases across the country are as follows:

Sabah (673 new cases)

• Existing clusters - 260
• Close contact screening - 243
• Other types of screening - 168
• Kertang cluster (new) - two

Selangor (132 new cases)

• Existing clusters - 84
• Close contact screening - 34
• Returnees from Sabah - two
• Other types of screening - 12

Kedah (17 new cases)

• Existing clusters - 15
• Close contact screening - one
• Patient with symptoms - one

Perak (nine new cases)

• Existing clusters - eight
• Other types of screening - one

Penang (nine new cases)

• Existing clusters - eight
• Other types of screening - one

Labuan (six new cases)

• Existing clusters - two
• Returnee from Sabah - two
• Close contact screening - one
• Other types of screening - one

Negeri Sembilan (six new cases)

• Existing clusters - two
• Close contact screening - two
• Other types of screening - two

Kuala Lumpur (six new cases)

• Existing clusters -four
• Close contact screening - one
• Other types of screening - one

Putrajaya (one new case)

• Existing cluster - one

Johor (one new case)

• Existing cluster - one

Kelantan (one new case)

• Close contact screening - one

The new Kertang cluster was attributed to an index case in the Kota Belud district in Sabah. The index patient was a close contact of a Covid-19 case.

As of noon today, this cluster involved 21 cases.

- Mkini