KUCHING: The Bintang Daily Cluster index case is a member of the local media.
This was revealed by Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian with regard to the new Covid-19 cluster in Meradong, announced on Monday by the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC).
“Given the nature of the work and mobility, (we) need those who are exposed to come forward to be assessed and tested for Covid-19,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Dr Sim added that however, case zero (patient zero – first case infected) had yet to be epidemiologically determined.
In the meantime, he also raised his concern over the increasing positive cases among healthcare workers.
“Healthcare workers are very much in need and they cannot be replaced overnight. This is why I had shared my medical knowledge that we have to practise the universal precautions that everyone is Covid-19 positive until proven otherwise.
“This means it is similar to the way that medical treats blood as HIV positive until proven otherwise.”
Dr Sim also reminded that testing and early treatment of Covid-19 could minimise the risk of death.
The Bintang Daily Cluster’s index case－Case 3,612－is a local man who was detected through the screening of symptomatic individual at the Bintangor Health Clinic on Jan 23 and was found positive on Jan 26.
Active case detection (ACD) of family members and colleagues found an additional seven new Covid-19 positive cases as of Monday.
