KOTA KINABALU: The Health Ministry has detected a Covid-19 cluster linked to an elderly woman who died at home in Sabah last week.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the deceased was subsequently confirmed to be death number 120 and case 8,403 of the coronavirus, said.
He said the first case of the cluster was the old woman whose body was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Forensic Department after she died at home on June 12 due to heart disease complications.
“The Covid-19 tests conducted (on the body) turned out positive. She had earlier been treated for heart disease at Queen Elizabeth Hospital 2.
“Screenings of close contacts have been conducted and two ward personnel were found to be Covid-19 positive,” he told a news conference on Covid-19 in Putrajaya yesterday.
Dr Noor Hisham said as at noon yesterday, 63 individuals comprising 21 health personnel, two patients and 40 family members and friends of the deceased had been identified for screening.
“Preventive measures like sanitisation and disinfection have been conducted in all places identified as having been exposed, including the ward and the home of the dead woman,” he said.
He said the source of infection for this cluster is still being investigated and Queen Elizabeth Hospital 2 is operating as normal.
Sabah recorded two new Covid-19 cases yesterday, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 361.
State Health and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk Frankie Poon Ming Fung said that the two cases were detected in Tuaran and Papar.
One of them was a close contact of the 96-year-old Covid-19 victim, who passed away at her home on June 12; while the other was a patient who underwent pre-surgery screening at Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital in Likas.
There are now eight remaining active cases in the state, three in Tuaran, two in Penampang and one each in Kota Kinabalu, Papar and Pitas.
No recoveries were registered yesterday, which meant that the state’s Covid-19 recovery tally remained at 346.
Dr Noor Hisham said for the Kuala Selangor senior citizens cluster, seven cases had been linked to the old folks home concerned.
“The home is still operating as usual and its residents are quarantined at the centre. MOH will continue to monitor the health condition of the residents,” he added.