PUTRAJAYA, Oct 18 — Four more new Covid-19 clusters have been identified, bringing the total number of current active clusters in the country to 85, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
The Bah Layangan Cluster, Alma Cluster, Auto Cluster and Kepayan Prison Cluster also take the overall total number of clusters detected in the country to 160.
“The index case for the Bah Layangan Cluster (case number 15,654) tested positive on October 10, was admitted to the Labuan Hospital and has a history of having travelled to a high-risk district.
“Close contact screenings identified 12 more positive cases. As of noon today, a total of 142 people have been screened, of which 13 tested positive, 67 were negative and 62 still awaiting their results,” he said at a media conference on the latest Covid-19 developments here today.
Dr Noor Hisham said the Alma Cluster involved the districts of Seberang Perai Selatan and Seberang Perai Tengah in Penang, where the index case (case number 18,066) was tested positive on October 14 and admitted to the Penang Hospital.
He said close contact screenings found six more positive cases. As of noon today, 183 individuals have been screened (seven tested positive, 43 were negative and 133 still awaiting results).
The Auto Cluster, he said, involved the districts of Petaling, Kuala Langat and Klang (Selangor) as well as Seremban (Negeri Sembilan). The index case (case number 19,354) was identified after the screening of a symptomatic individual on Oct 15 and warded at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.
“Close contact screening then identified eight more positive cases. As of noon today, a total of nine positive cases have been detected while the cause of the infection is still under investigation,” he said.
The fourth cluster reported today is the Kepayan Prison Cluster, which was identified in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The index case (case number 19,628) tested positive during a hospitalisation screening at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu on Oct 14.
Dr Noor Hisham said close contact screening found 48 more positive cases. As of noon today, a total of 170 individuals have been screened (49 tested positive and 121 were negative).
— Bernama
