Umno supreme council member positive for Covid-19 while campaigning in Sipitang, Sabah

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IPOH (Sept 21): Umno supreme council member Datuk Mohd Razlan Muhammad Rafii, who was campaigning the upcoming Sabah elections, has tested positive for Covid-19.

Razlan told Malaysiakini that he is currently waiting for the results of a follow-up swab test, and is hoping for a false positive.

“The first test was an RTK (rapid test kit), this second test is an RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction). The results should be out today or tomorrow,” he told the news portal.

Razlan is currently being held at a hospital in Kota Kinabalu.

According to media reports, he tested positive for Covid-19 while campaigning in Sipitang.

Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin last night, when asked about the reports of an infected Umno leader, said that it was not confirmed and merely a suspected case.

“But he has already been put under quarantine for 14 days,” he told reporters.

Previously, Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had said that RTKs used by the ministry have a sensitivity rate of 85 per cent, and a specificity rate of 100 per cent, according to The Edge.

“This means that out of 100 people who have been tested, 10 of them might have a false negative result. This is one of the weaknesses of the test,” said Dr Noor Hisham.

However, it is unclear how often the RTK can produce a false positive.

An RT-PCR test is considered the gold standard and is more accurate than RTK.  – Malay Mail