MIRI: Case investigation and contact tracing will immediately be done by the Health Department whenever a positive Covid-19 case is detected.
Minister of Transport Datuk Lee Kim Shin cum minister in-charge of Miri Division Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) stated that case investigation and contact tracing was a specialised skill performed by trained public health inspectors and public health doctors.
“The public health inspectors and doctors will work closely with the patients to help them recall everyone with whom they have had close contact with. Once the family/household, workplace and social close contacts are identified and quarantined at their respective homes, swab tests are arranged in accordance with the Ministry of Health protocols,” he said.
Close contacts are generally defined as persons who have contact with the confirmed case with or without wearing a mask less than 1-metre distance and more than 15 minutes of duration. However, in the event of airline passenger contact, the passengers who will be quarantined and swabbed are those seated two rows in front and behind plus the adjacent rows from the patient.
According to Lee, the Health Department would also perform Active Case Detections (ACDs) in view of the local Covid-19 cases that were detected in Miri by systematically screening the population to find cases.
“The neighborhood and workplace areas of reported positive cases will undergo targeted screening method since the Bah Sayap Cluster is detected and is still on-going in Miri district.
“To date a total 216 individuals have been given swab tests with 153 reported as negative and that results for the 63 are pending,” he reported.
Lee also stated that Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) had recently released the name of the premises that the positive case had visited. In accordance with the state’s Ministry of Local Government and Housing standard operating procedure (SOP), the owners of the premises are required to perform daily sanitation and cleaning of their premises.
“Customers in the premises are required to adopt Covid-19 preventive measures such as wearing face masks, ensuring social distancing and practising self-hygiene so that the risk of Covid-19 transmission is low,” he reminded.
The general public could check their MySejahtera App under the ‘History’ option to cross reference the premises they visited and verify whether it matched with the list of premises, exact date and specific time published to empower them to perform self-assessment and practise Covid-19 preventive measures.
“In the event of any individual was present at the said premises after checking in their MySejahtera App and there were no preventive measures taken, the said person should go to Miri Indoor Stadium between 8:30am to 11:30am (Monday-Sunday) and report to the health inspector stationed there.
“After the information is verified by the health inspector and the exposure risk is found, the individual would undergo a swab test at the Miri Indoor Stadium but if the premises, their exact date and specific time does not match or if the exposure risk is deemed as low, the person will be advised to monitor the symptoms and practise Covid-19 preventive measures,” he added.
