Birthday Party Sparks New Covid 19 Cluster In Sabah

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Sabah Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the Kampung Kimolohing cluster stemmed from a local man who held a birthday party at his house.KOTA KINABALU: A birthday party has sparked a new community cluster in Ranau, with 49 people infected so far.Sabah Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the Kampung Kimolohing cluster stemmed from a local man who held a birthday party at his house.
The index case also attended another birthday celebration at his relative's house.
"The index case tested positive on Oct 18. Based on the preliminary investigation, the man held a birthday party from Oct 12 to Oct 14 at his home.
"Then on Oct 16, the index case also attended a birthday party at his relative's house.
"The index case began to be symptomatic on Oct 17. He underwent screening the next day and was confirmed positive," he said in a statement.
However, Masidi said further investigation was still being carried out to know the exact cause of the infection.
The daily new Covid-19 cases in Sabah today rose sharply to 565 cases compared to 450 cases yesterday.
Masidi said the number of cases found through symptomatic screening remained high at 213 or 37.7 per cent of the total cases.
"This high number should be a reminder to members of the public not to be negligent in complying with all SOPs.
"The relaxation of certain restrictions on economic and social activities has spurred activities involving meetings and gatherings either at work or in public places. This increases the risk of sporadic viral infections," he said.
Overall, said Masidi, 20 districts saw an increase while seven districts recorded a decline in cases.
"Ranau topped the list with 59 cases followed by Kota Belud (55), Keningau (49), Kota Kinabalu (49), Beaufort (48), Tenom (40), Kota Marudu (38), Papar (27), Tuaran (23), Kudat (22), Tambunan (19), Penampang (19), Beluran (17), Lahad Datu (17), Sipitang (13), and Sandakan (10).
"Another 11 districts recorded single-digit cases," he said.
Meanwhile, the number of patients in Categories Three, Four, and Five who required treatment in a hospital or intensive care was low.
"Only three cases in Category Three, and two cases each in Categories Four and Five.
"Some 96.11 per cent of the caseload were in Categories One and Two, while 15 cases were still under evaluation by the state Health Department," he said.
Sabah also registered 16 fatalities – five in Kota Belud, two each in Papar, Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran and Sandakan while one each in Telupid, Kota Marudu and Tawau.- NST

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