KUCHING: A man with underlying health conditions is the nation’s first fatality, after testing positive for Covid-19.
The State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) Secretariat which confirmed the fatality identified the victim as Pastor David Cheng Lip Kiong from Emmanuel Baptist Church, who died yesterday.
Sixty-year-old Cheng was the state’s second confirmed case for Covid-19.
With his passing, the virus has claimed its first victim in Sarawak and in Malaysia as a whole.
The victim passed away at the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) around 11am. The State Health Department is still in the process of identifying the source of his infection.
Meanwhile, sources indicated that his infection was traced to a wedding he attended at a local hotel here on March 7.
A total of 193 persons who came into close contacts with the victim have been traced and are undergoing self-quarantine themselves to curb the spread of the virus.
Sarawak yesterday recorded 11 new positive cases. There are six from Kuching, three from Limbang and one each from Betong and Lawas.
They are now being treated at the three designated hospital namely, Sarawak General Hospital, Sibu Hospital and Miri Hospital.
Apart from that, the states have recorded another 35 Person-Under-Investigation (PUI), while 204 patients are still awaiting results.
Currently, 45 Covid-19 cases in Sarawak had been traced to four clusters namely, Sri Petaling Cluster, Kuching (Church) Cluster, Sarikei Cluster and one more cluster in Kuching, the source of which is yet to be identified.
