Bilal at centre of 11-case cluster in Sabah

 

A bilal at Masjid Al-Falah near Kota Kinabalu, is the index case of the Patuma cluster. (Facebook pic)

KOTA KINABALU: A bilal of a mosque in Kepayan has been identified as the index case of an 11-case cluster in the state capital.

Sabah’s official Covid-19 spokesman Masidi Manjun said the Patuma cluster was recorded on May 18 after the 55-year-old man went for symptomatic screening at a private clinic.

He added the man was a bilal at the Masjid Al-Falah in Kepayan here, and also a Grab driver.

“Based on early investigations, the index case is believed to have been infected from a congregation that failed to follow tight SOPs while being at the mosque,” he said.

“Besides that, the infection was potentially contributed by some people in the congregation going to the mosque despite having symptoms.”

Masidi, who is also state local government and housing minister, said a contact screening resulted in 10 other infections being found, making it 11 cumulative cases. He said 133 samples have been taken so far, with the results of 33 still pending.

He said the state recorded 265 new infections in the last 24 hours, a drop of 43 cases from yesterday.

Masidi said 134 cases were detected from close contact screenings.

The effectiveness in curbing the spread of Covid-19 depends very much on how far the community is determined to follow self-lockdowns and the SOPs by the government, he said.

Sabah now has a cumulative 61,847 cases, with 1,047 patients still receiving treatment in hospitals and low-risk treatment centres, among others. - FMT