KOTA KINABALU (Sept 15): Sabah recorded its largest number of Covid-19 deaths today at 71 cases, with 21 in Kota Kinabalu, 18 in Sandakan and 15 in Tawau.
According to Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, Lahad Datu and Penampang recorded three deaths each, two in Kota Belud and Papar, while Kota Marudu, Putatan, Kalabakan, Pitas, Kinabatangan, Tuaran and Keningau one each.
He said one new workplace cluster was recorded in Kinabatangan dubbed the Sungai Bendera Cluster after 72 positive cases were discovered from screenings of 416 individuals there.
He said this cluster was sparked by a 42-year-old retail shopkeeper in an oil palm plantation who had symptoms, and was tested positive for Covid-19 on September 10, thus becoming the index case for this cluster.
“The RTK AG screening test by the farm panel clinic showed a positive result with a grading of 100 per cent and immediately referred to Kinabatangan Hospital for further treatment.
“Subsequent contact sampling activities found 71 more positive cases among social contacts, employees and dependents.
“Investigations, Covid-19 sampling and disinfection are still ongoing in the field to assess the spread of infection and the possible risk of infection spreading more widely to other nearby farm workers,” Masidi said in a statement.
He also said that new Covid-19 cases in Sabah rose to 2,015 today due to 1,040 backlogged cases.
Out of the new cases, 660 were fully vaccinated, 117 one dose vaccination, and 1,238 unvaccinated.
Close contact screenings contributed to 55.48 per cent or 1,118 of the total cases, followed by symptomatic screenings at 31.36 per cent, 81 cases from existing clusters and 184 from others.
A total of 665 patients from today’s new cases were in Category 1, 1,220 in Category 2, five in Category 3, and nine each in Category 4 and Category 5, while 107 cases were still under investigation.
About 89.58 per cent of the patients were Malaysians.