KUCHING: Sarawak Health Department has identified two new clusters namely, the Depot Imigresen Semuja Cluster in Serian and Sungai Atap Cluster in Meradong.
Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the cluster in Serian involved an immigration detention depot.
The cluster was detected when Serian Division Health Department screened Immigration Department staff and detainees at the depot after receiving information on a positive case among the illegal immigrants deported through the Tebedu checkpoint, Sarawak-Kalimantan border, on March 11.
“584 individuals were screened on March 16 and 17 with 99 detainees testing positive, including the index case.
“185 were negative while 300 are still waiting their results,” he said in a Covid-19 daily update press conference on Thursday (March 18).
Uggah said so far, the positive cases involved only the detainees and none among Immigration staff.
All cases had been admitted to a Low-Risk Treatment Centre (PKRC) set up at the depot for isolation and further treatment.
Meanwhile, the Sungai Atap Cluster involved a longhouse at Sungai Atap, Ulu Strass in Meradong District, Sarikei.
The cluster came about through inter-district travel where the source of infection was believed to come from Sibu District.
The index case is Case 10,693, a 36-year-old local woman who was detected following screening at Lanang Health Clinic.
She underwent rT-PCR test on March 3 and found positive on March 5.
Uggah said a total of 148 individuals identified as close contacts had been screened.
“Of these, 19 tested positive, including the index case, 125 were negative and four still awaiting test results.
“All 19 positive cases were admitted to Sarikei Hospital and PKRC for further treatment.”
At present, there are 34 active clusters in the state. Of these, 10 clusters recorded an increase in the number of cases while 24 others did not.
