KUCHING (March 4): Sarawak recorded a spike in Covid-19 cases with 361 cases today, with Miri topping the list at 89 cases following an outbreak among local offshore workers there, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman said out of the 89 new cases in Miri today, 49 involved offshore workers from the Baran Oil and Gas Platform.
The death toll in the state remains unchanged at 84, with no fatalities recorded today.
Out of the 89 new cases in Miri, 87 were from active case detection, which included the cases from the Baram Oil and Gas Platform.
At the same time, two other cases were from individuals who came for voluntary screenings.
Sibu District recorded 73 new cases where 54 were from ACD, 12 involving symptomatic patients. Six voluntary screenings and one involving a healthcare worker.
Uggah said 55 per cent of Sibu’s new cases today involved three areas namely Sibu Jaya, Sentosa and Tiong Hua.
Meanwhile, of the 71 new cases in Bintulu, 59 were individuals screened involving high risk localities in the district. Uggah said two of them were classified as imported cases.
At the same time, nine of the cases were detected from ACD, two involving symptomatic patients and one from voluntary screening.
Betong meanwhile recorded 60 cases where 58 involved the Jalan Muhibbah Cluster and two from ACD.
Kuching District recorded 22 new cases where 11 involved the Emperoh Jambu Cluster, six Kampung SUngai Maong Cluster, four from ACD and one symptomatic patient.
In Subis, 11 new cases were detected all from ACD. Uggah said four of them were classified as imported cases.
Sarikei District recorded nine new cases all from ACD, Mukah eight all from ACD, and Kapit six where three involving the Gelong Cluster, two voluntary screening and one involving a healthcare worker.
In Selangau, four new cases were detected from an ACD, four from an ACD in Serian, Meradong three where two from the Sungai Bakong Cluster and one from ACD, and one new case in Julau from ACD classified as Import C after an individual caught the disease from Kuching.
All in all, 2,337 active cases are being hospitalised in the state to date, where 889 are in the Sibu Hospital and Covid-19 Quarantine and Low-Risk Treatment Centre (PKRC), Bintulu Hospital and PKRC (391), Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) and Kuching PKRC (303), Miri Hospital and PKRC (289), Betong Hospital and PKRC (170), Sarikei Hospital and PKRC (134), Kapit Hospital and PKRC (132) and Sri Aman Hospital and PKRC (29).
“From Jan 1 till March 4 this year a total of 343,384 samples have been taken in the state. A total of 241,599 individuals have been screened over the same period of time with a total of 9,294 positive cases or 3.85 per cent positive rate.
“With all the effort being done by Sarawak, the positive rates in the state is under control at the rate of 3.85 per cent, well below the 10 per cent benchmark set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), said Uggah.
On a positive note, 266 cases have recovered and discharged today, where 155 were from Sibu Hospital, SGH (45), Sarikei Hospital (29), Kapit PKRC (16), Bintulu Hospital (10), Sri Aman Hospital (6) and Miri Hospital (5).
The total number of recovery and discharged in the state to date is at 7,967 or 76.43 per cent out of a total of 10,424 cases in the state to date.
SDMC also recorded 361 new person-under-investigation (PUI) cases today as well as 400 new person-under-surveillance (PUS) cases, making it a total of 6,369 of them being quarantined in 89 hotels a nd other accommodations around Sarawak.