PUTRAJAYA, May 21 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) has detected a new cluster of Covid-19 cases involving foreigners at the Bukit Jalil Immigration Detention Depot.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said as at noon today, 645 people have been screened and tested with 35 positive cases recorded.
He said the positive cases involved 17 Myanmar nationals, 15 foreigners from India and one each from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Egypt.
“Of the total number of individuals screened, 400 were confirmed negative while 210 people are still awaiting results. The cause of infections is still being investigated.
“Various prevention and control activities have been carried out, such as disinfection, providing education on personal hygiene as well as social distancing,” he said at the daily press conference on Covid-19 here today.
Dr Noor Hisham said MOH had also provided health services at all detention depots on a scheduled basis.
“Among the services provided include treatment for minor ailments, early emergency treatment and health examinations for pregnant women, babies and children which include immunisation,” he said.
He added that emergency cases and those that required inpatient treatment such as mothers who are due to give birth would be referred to the nearby MOH hospital. All the services are provided without any charge.
Dr Noor Hisham said in order to ensure that Covid-19 infection cases could be fully detected, MOH through District Health Offices would continue adopting the targeted approach.
“It includes thorough investigations, close contact tracing, and risk assessment by the relevant authorities while symptomatic screening and sampling will also be carried out to detect cases.
“For positive cases, (patients) will be isolated and treated at hospitals and those in close contact with them will be put under the monitoring and observation order, under section 15(1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342),” he said.
Dr Noor Hisham said MOH would continue to cooperate with the Immigration Department, the police and other government agencies, in managing Covid-19 cases involving the immigration detention depot cluster.
— Bernama
