PETALING JAYA: Another Covid-19 cluster has been discovered in Sabah as the number of new infections nationwide rose to 82 yesterday.
This is the seventh cluster that has surfaced in the state amid campaigning for the crucial state election this Saturday.
Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (pix) told a press conference yesterday that the new cluster, called Bangau-Bangau, was reported in Semporna.
He said a screening exercise that began on Monday has already uncovered five positive cases in the area. Another 92 individuals who were also screened are still waiting for their test results.
Noor Hisham said of the five new cases in the Bangau-Bangau cluster, four are Malaysians and one a foreigner.
He said all five have been admitted to the Semporna Hospital for treatment.
“Preventive measures, including disinfection and cleaning, are being undertaken at the hospital.”
Elsewhere in Sabah, new infections have been found in three other clusters – Benteng LD, Pulau and Selamat.
The Benteng LD cluster saw an additional 41 cases as of noon yesterday. This brings the total number of Covid-19 cases in the cluster to 624.
Noor Hisham said a total of 10,045 individuals in Benteng LD have been screened and 2,822 are still waiting for their test results.
Six new cases each have also been reported in the Pulau and Selamat clusters.
In Kedah, there were nine new cases from the Sungai cluster, bringing the total number of active cases to 83. The new infections raise the number of active cases to 665 from 583 a day earlier.
Nine patients are still in intensive care, with two requiring ventilator support.
The death toll remains at 130.
The surge in Covid-19 infection has also prompted Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal to suggest that the Election Commission (EC) provides sufficient space at polling booths on Saturday to ensure social distancing is possible. He wants the EC to introduce a set of standard operating procedures that would enable Covid-19 patients to cast their votes.
