Five new Covid-19 cases recorded, mostly in Sarawak

CORONAVIRUS | Five new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the country today, three of which were detected in Sarawak.

This brings the total of Covid-19 cases to 8,734 since the beginning of the outbreak.

In a statement, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said four of the five cases were locally transmitted.

One was detected through pre-operation screening at Sungai Buloh Hospital, while the other three cases were in Sarawak.

Meanwhile, the Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) said one of the cases detected in the state was a foreigner working as a project engineer at a local company in Kuching.

The patient had a sore throat beginning July 12 and underwent an RT-PCR test at a private hospital yesterday, which came back positive for Covid-19 on the same day.

Another case involved a Malaysian engineer in Kota Samarahan working at the same firm as the project engineer. The patient tested positive yesterday but did not show any symptoms at the time of testing.

The SDMC said a healthcare worker at a private hospital in Kuching also tested positive for Covid-19, despite showing no symptoms.

“All three cases are local transmissions since they have no history of overseas travel. The cases are still being investigated.

“Contact tracing of their family members and their workplaces are also underway,” it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Noor Hisham (above) said the sole imported case involved a foreigner who was permitted to enter Malaysia for work purposes.

Two patients have recovered and were discharged, bringing the total of active cases to 86. 

Five of these cases are being treated in intensive care units (ICU), including one in need of a ventilator.

No new fatalities have been reported, keeping the death toll at 122.