Patient Went For Raya Activities Before Revealing Link To Kedah Cluster

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CORONAVIRUS | The list of Covid-19 standard operating protocol (SOP) violations that gave rise to the number of cases from the Sivagangga cluster and forced parts of Kedah to go into a partial lockdown continues to grow
This time, with a Malaysian participating in Hari Raya Aidiladha activities before revealing his link to the cluster
Health Ministry Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the person made up one of two new Covid-19 cases recorded today
The person was a patron at a restaurant owned by the index case of the Sivagangga cluster, who returned from India on July 13 but did not comply with a home quarantine order and spent time at his restaurant. The Sivagangga cluster was discovered on July 28
The patron had sought a Covid-19 test at a private clinic on July 27, but it was a rapid test kit (RTK) antibody test which, unlike a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, unable to detect Covid-19 in the early stages of infection. The result was negative
"On July 31 (Hari Raya Aidiladha), the person began to experience symptoms of fever and cough but did not contact the nearest district health office or health clinic for treatment
"A day later, after the person was involved in Hari Raya Aidiladha activities, the person informed that he is a close contact of the index case
"Following that, screening was conducted using an RT-PCR test and was found to be positive with Covid-19. The person is admitted to Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah for treatment," Noor Hisham told a press conference in Putrajaya today
The new infection brings the Sivagangga cluster to 21 cases, the fourth largest active cluster at present
'No data for contact tracing'Noor Hisham said the government was forced to impose a targeted enhanced movement control order (MCO) within the radius of the restaurant and related locations due to the fact that the Health Ministry couldn't properly trace the restaurant's customers
He said this was because apart from the restaurant owner violating his quarantine order, his business also did not follow SOP to record the details and temperature of all customers
"It has been a challenge for contact tracing as they did not use the MySejahtera app or other similar apps
"They also did not record the details of customers. In the absence of such information, our course of action is to implement the targeted enhanced MCO to contain the disease," he said
For this reason, Noor Hisham said the government is now mandating the use of the MySejahtera contact-tracing app by gazetting it as law
"Drawing lessons from this case, the Health Ministry would like to remind people not to conceal information about their contact with Covid-19 patients
"People should come forward if they are at high risk or have had contact with Covid-19 cases
"Everyone must have this sense of social responsibility so that we can contain the spread of Covid-19 together," he added
Noor Hisham said legal action has been taken against the index case but cautioned the public not to take the law into their own hands amid threat of physical harm against the Covid-19 patient
He urged all patrons of the restaurant to visit their nearest government clinic for screening
The director-general added that not everyone in the neighbourhood needed to be screened but they should seek screening if they have a suspicion about having come in contact with the Sivagangga cluster
The Health Ministry is already planning to screen some 7,000 people in the area
The other new case today involves a college student in Labuan who was detected through random testing. No imported cases were reported today
The two new infections today put the cumulative cases at 9,001, of which 8,668 have recovered
A total of 208 Covid-19 patients are under treatment of which one is in the intensive care unit
No new death was reported, maintaining the death toll at 125
Yesterday, the Kedah government announced that it was imposing the targeted enhanced MCO in several areas that include the closure of schools, roads and the implementation of checkpoints to contain the Sivagangga cluster. 
- Mkini

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