Two new Covid-19 clusters detected in three districts

30 July 2021

By Ilona Andrew

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah today registered two new Covid-19 clusters involving Tawau, Ranau and Kota Marudu, with a cumulative total of 91 cases.

Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the clusters are known as the Batu Dua cluster in Tawau, and the Gunsapau cluster in Ranau and Kota Marudu.

"The Batu Dua cluster is a workplace infection involving a pastry shop in Tawau.

"The index case is a 58-year-old man residing in Batu 2, Lorong Habib Abdul Rahman who tested positive on July 17.

"Close contact screening found three individuals testing positive and one of them is the index case's son who works at the pastry shop.

"A workplace screening had been conducted and found eight of shop's employees testing positive for Covid-19," he said in a statement today.

He added that 66 close contacts have been screened to date with 27 individuals testing positive, three testing negative, while the rest still awaiting results.

Meanwhile, Masidi said the Gunsapau cluster is categorised as a community cluster involving social contacts in Kg Tagibang, Kota Marudu.

"The index case is a 24-year-old woman who tested positive on July 21. On the next day, four more have tested positive through symptomatic screening.

"The contacts of the index case's housemates in Kg Pugi Gunsapau, Kg Nawanon and Kg Tagibang in Kota Marudu were also found to have tested positive through July 24-27," he stated.

Throughout that period, a total of 164 individuals have undergone screening with 64 of them testing positive while the rest of the test samples came back negative.