12 clusters linked to Aidilfitri celebrations, more expected

 

The Health Ministry has found 12 Covid-19 clusters that are linked to Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations held on May 13.

Its director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the figures are up to yesterday.

“This figure is expected to rise and perhaps involve more states,” he said in a Facebook post today.

According to the charts he shared, the 12 clusters involved 470 confirmed cases so far, out of 2,541 people screened.

Of these, 70 people have reported symptoms during their illness, and 400 have not.

Two people have been admitted to intensive care units, both in the Simpang Sahari cluster in Labuan that infected 88 people.

One person has died, involving the Jalan Tahir Manan cluster in Kuala Selangor that infected 24 people.

The first such cluster was the Muhibbah Dua cluster that was identified in Lahad Datu district, Sabah, where 14 cases have been reported so far. This is just six days after the start of the Aidilfitri celebrations.

So far, the largest Aidilfitri cluster is the Kepulauan Tumpat cluster in Kelantan, where 184 people have tested positive out of 1,451 people screened. The cluster was first detected on May 22.

By state, Sabah (4) has the most Aidilfitri clusters. Kelantan and Labuan each reported two clusters; while Selangor, Sarawak, Penang and Pahang each reported one cluster.

For the record, the federal government has banned Hari Raya Aidilfitri open houses and visits throughout the country, and restrictions have been imposed to limit the number of people present at mosques and surau during Hari Raya prayers.

Despite this, the Sabah government has allowed Hari Raya visits to take place, citing the low number of Covid-19 cases in the state at the time.

Of the Sabah clusters, the Deluxe cluster in Penampang and Semporna, Abaka cluster in Tawau, and Muhibbah Dua cluster in Lahad Datu total 71 cases.

Meanwhile, the Melikai cluster involved Kuala Penyu in Sabah and Labuan. This cluster has 21 cases.

 - Mkini