Sabah registers two new Covid-19 clusters involving funeral, workplace

31 Aug 2021

By Ilona Andrew

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah registered two new Covid-19 clusters known as the Nasakot cluster in Ranau and the Sawit Jeroco cluster in Lahad Datu.

The Nasakot cluster was triggered by a seven-day funeral ceremony at Kg Nasakot, said Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

While having Covid-19 symptoms, the index case of this cluster had attended the week-long funeral ceremony which was also attended by almost of all the residents in Kg Nasakot.

"The index case is a 40-year-old woman with a child suffering from thalassaemia who tested positive through a ward pre-admittance screening on Aug 20.

"The woman was believed to have brought her child for blood transfusion at Ranau Hospital on Aug 3 where she first tested negative after undergoing a ward pre-admittance screening.

"Therefore, they were allowed to discharge on Aug 5 and had been at home since Aug 6. However, the index case started showing symptoms such as fever, flu as well as loss of taste and smell on Aug 12," he said in a statement today.

According to Masidi, close contact screening has been conducted on Aug 21-23 where a total of four cases were detected. These four cases are the sub-index for the following cases.

"The mass gathering during this funeral sparked an outbreak in the communities of Kg Nasakot and Kg Tanid in Mukim Malinsau. Out of 95 contacts screened, 31 individuals tested positive in this cluster."

Meanwhile, the Sawit Jeroco cluster which is classified as a workplace cluster was detected in Mukim Segama.

The index case is a 27-year-old factory worker who tested positive at a private clinic on Aug 26 after exhibiting symptoms a day prior.

"The factory management and the panel clinic had conducted contact and targeted screenings from Aug 26-28 on 215 individuals.

"Out of the total, 57 individuals tested found positive, including 25 new cases reported today, while 194 individuals tested for their first swab tests.

"All positive cases in the cluster were referred to the district's quarantine centre for further treatment and isolation. Close contacts have also been instructed to undergo quarantine at the plantation," said Masidi.

Most of the cases are among non-citizens who have not yet receive the vaccines and the cause of the infection is still under investigation, he added.