Another school hostel Covid-19 cluster detected in Sabah

 

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has recorded another Covid-19 cluster involving a school hostel, this time in Tenom.

Sabah Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the index case of the cluster called Mantailang Atas was a student staying at the hostel at SMK Tenom.

"The index case is a 19-year-old student staying at the SMK Tenom hostel. He tested positive on Nov 13, having experienced symptoms since Nov 11.

"Close contact screenings found another 15 positive cases among his classmates, hostel residents as well as family members. To date, this cluster recorded 16 cases thus far," he said in a statement today.

It was reported yesterday that a new cluster was detected at SMK Kemburongoh in the Ranau district with 22 people infected thus far including students and the hostel warden.

The index case also involved a student staying at the hostel.

Sabah's cases increased slightly to 543 today from 541 yesterday, while the number of deaths went back to two digits.

Sabah recorded 15 fatalities – two each in Beaufort, Kota Kinabalu and Tuaran, and one each in Keningau, Kota Belud, Kota Marudu, Kuala Penyu, Kudat, Penampang, Sandakan, Semporna and Tawau.

"Of the 543 cases reported today, only one patient is in Category 5, five in Category 4 and none in Category 3. Another six cases are still being investigated by the state Health Department.

"The rest of the cases are in Category 2 with 466 patients (or 86 per cent) while Category 1 registered 65 patients or 12 per cent of the caseload," said Masidi.

He added that sporadic infections remained high with some 204 cases being symptomatic, which accounted for 37.57 per cent of the caseload.

Close contacts were the biggest contributor registering 303 cases or 55.80 per cent, he said. - NST