KUCHING, Aug 20 ― Sarawak broke its streak of having zero positive Covid-19 cases today with four new positive cases recorded in Bintulu district.

The State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) in a statement said this brought the total number of cases in Sarawak to 686.

It said the new cases were detected during a health screening conducted on the crew of a ship anchored in Bintulu waters, which had just returned from Toyama Port, Japan.

"These cases were allowed to be signed off due to them experiencing early signs and symptoms of Covid-19.

"A total of five people were brought down from the ship and admitted to the isolation ward at Bintulu Hospital for further treatment and investigation.

"Covid-19 screening tests conducted on Aug 18 found that four of them had tested positive, using the rT-PCR method,” it said.

Out of the four cases, two were Malaysians while the other two were Filipino and Indian citizens, respectively. ― Borneo Post