KUCHING: The Sarawak Health Department has already contacted the more than 100 patients in Bintulu who tested positive for Covid-19 and were earlier on, reported as “uncontactable”.
Its director Dr Chin Zin Hing explained that between April 12 and April 21, the Sarawak Health Department was still in the process of contacting all the individuals involved but now, the process had been completed.
“For the implementation of active case detection (ACD) activities, usually the information of each individual is obtained through the identity card (IC), passport or respective clinic.
“The Health Department will then contact the individual concerned either by phone, through his/her family members or by tracking him or her at the address provided,” he said in a statement in response to Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong Kiong Sing’s statement who said that more than 100 patients in Bintulu who tested positive for Covid-19 were uncontactable.
Dr Chin advised the public to always cooperate to ensure that the Covid-19 pandemic could be controlled and overcome.
He said it was an offence under Section 22(d) of Act 342 to give false information. If convicted under Section 24(a) of the same Act, an offender could be jailed up to two years or fined or could be jailed and fined as well.
Dr Chin also advised any individual who had been contacted to cooperate fully with the health department.
“All these efforts are made solely to detect any risk of infection at an early stage and to break the chain of Covid-19 infection among family members as well as the community,” he said.
On April 25, Tiong said after being tested between April 12 and 21, more than 100 patients in Bintulu who tested positive for Covid-19 were uncontactable as they had given incorrect or false personal information.
“They have 24 hours to turn up at the emergency department of Bintulu Hospital.
“Failure to do so will result in the police conducting a thorough search, arresting them and bringing them to court,” he said.
