KUCHING: The State Health Department today (June 5) declared four new clusters — one each in the districts of Meradong, Sri Aman, Miri and Bintulu.
The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) said the new Skim B cluster in Meradong was a community cluster involving a longhouse at Skim B, Meradong district.
“This cluster was caused by the activity of slaughtering and cutting pork on a ‘gotong-royong’ basis on May 27 at the longhouse in preparation for the Hari Gawai celebration,” it said in a statement today.
Of the 78 people who were screened, 28 including the index case were positive, 45 were negative while five cases were still awaiting laboratory results.
“All the positive cases were admitted to the Sarikei Hospital and the Quarantine and Low-Risk Treatment Centre (PKRC) in the Sarikei district for the purpose of isolation and further treatment,” said SDMC.
The committee said the new Banting cluster in Sri Aman was also a community cluster involving five longhouses in Banting and a longhouse in Kerepok. All these longhouses are located in Lingga, Sri Aman.
The committee said this cluster arose from 40-day prayer activities held on May 22 at the longhouse and attended by many people from nearby longhouses.
“Of the 262 people who were screened, 59 including the index case were positive, 155 were negative, while 48 are still awaiting laboratory test results,” said SDMC.
It said the positive cases were admitted to the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), the Sri Aman Hospital as well as the PKRC in the Sri Aman district.
The committee added that the new Ijus Pengelayan cluster in Miri was a community cluster involving a shipping company in Kuala Baram.
“This spread to a longhouse in Kejaman, Baram, Marudi, stemming from the Gawai Antu activities which took place on May 15 at the longhouse,” it said.
Of the 163 people who were screened, 55 including the index case were positive, 100 were negative while eight were still awaiting laboratory results.
“All the positive cases were admitted to the Miri Hospital and the PKRC in the Miri district for the purpose of isolation and further treatment,” said the committee.
SDMC said the new Jalan Kampung Yoh cluster in Sebauh was a workplace cluster involving a construction company which supplied concrete. The cluster was located at a work site at the junction of Jalan Kampung Yoh, Batu 38, Jalan Bintulu-Miri in Sebauh.
It said Covid-19 had spread through social contacts among the workers at the construction site.
“Of the 83 people who were screened, 58 including the index case were positive, 13 were negative while 12 are still awaiting laboratory results,” said SDMC.
It added the positive cases were admitted to the Bintulu Hospital and the PKRC in the Bintulu district.
The State Health Department also declared the end of the Jelalong cluster in Sebauh as no new cases had been detected or reported within the last 28 days.
With that, SDMC said there were still 80 active clusters in the state and 16 had recorded 119 additional cases today.
