KUCHING: The State Health Department has declared two new clusters, namely the Jalan Bintulu-Sibu Cluster in Tatau and Tarat Tani Cluster in Serian.
State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) in a statement today (Apr 18) said the Jalan Bintulu-Sibu Cluster is an institution cluster that was detected involving a secondary school and population settlement at KM60, Jalan Bintulu-Sibu in Tatau district.
“The index case of this cluster is Case 18,771, a 16-year-old male student who was detected through screening of symptomatic individual at Tatau Health Clinic on Apr 6. He was confirmed Covid-19 positive on Apr 10.
“The movement of this index case only involves the surrounding of Tatau district before going back to boarding school on Apr 4. He is likely to have got the infection within the community.
“Through further investigation and active case detection among contacts with family members, school friends and casual contact to the index case, an addition of 10 cases were found Covid-19 positive,” SDMC said.
The committee added that active screening was also conducted involving students and staff of the secondary school involved in which 546 individuals were screened with 11 found to be Covid-19 positive including the case index while 186 were found negative in the first screening and 349 are still awaiting laboratory results.
All of the Covid-19 positive cases were referred to Bintulu Hospital and admitted to the low-risk quarantine centre (PKRC) in Bintulu district for isolation and further treatments, SDMC said.
The committee also said all students in the boarding school have been placed under lockdown order.
Meanwhile, the Tarat Tani Cluster is a community cluster that was detected in the government quarters in Tarat, Serian district.
“The case index of this cluster is Case 19,877, a 39-year-old local woman who was found positive through screening of symptomatic individual at Tarat Health Clinic on Apr 9. Her result was confirmed Covid-19 positive on the next day.
“She is a housewife who had infected her two children who are students at SK Tarat in Serian district. The cause of infection is still under investigation and it is likely that she got it from the community.
“It was then spread to her family members and other individuals living at the government quarters as well as a primary school and secondary school in Tarat area,” SDMC said.
The committee added that further investigation and active case detection among contact with family, school friends and casual contact to the positive cases involving this cluster, a total of 320 individuals were screened.
“Of the total, 21 were found positive including the case index; 146 were negative in the first screening and 153 cases are still awaiting laboratory results.
“The 21 cases were referred and admitted to PKRC Serian for isolation and further treatments. No death has been reported involving this cluster,” SDMC said.
On another note, the committee also revealed that the State Health Department has declared that five clusters have ended after no new cases were detected or reported in the past 28 days.
“The five clusters which have ended are Jalan Green Cluster in Kuching district, Buluh Parsi Cluster and Sungai Atap Cluster in Meradong district, Sena Cluster in Miri as well as Begalak Cluster in Song.
“There are still 46 active clusters in the state in which 14 clusters recorded additional 59 new cases while 32 clusters did not record any addition of new cases,” SDMC said.
