Malaysia
Outside of clusters, Sabah attributes high number of Covid-19 cases to close contact
Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun during an interview at Likas Sports Complex in Kota Kinabalu September 14, 2017. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 4 — Close contact between Sabah folk has been cited as a reason for the continued high number of new Covid-19 cases in the capital, its suburbs, and Sandakan.

Sabah state government Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said that the numbers in Kota Kinabalu, Putatan and Penampang were traced to those who had come into close contact with Covid-19 patients.

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"This happens usually when they are in some kind of gathering, among others — it has come from akad nikah,” he said, referring the Malay-Muslim ritual of solemnisation for marriage.

"These kinds of situations will facilitate infections. My appeal is to avoid any gathering that would open us to possibility of infection.”

From the statistics in Kota Kinabalu, 146 out of 212 new case comprised contacts of patients, while in Sandakan, 121 out of 226 cases also stemmed from such close contact.

"So it is obvious, it is very infectious. So do avoid gathering and coming into contact with friends and others,” he said.

The state continues to record the highest number of cases in the country with 646 cases today. Sandakan tops the list with 226, followed by Kota Kinabalu with 212, Tawau with 71, Penampang with 49, Putatan with 22,  Lahad Datu with 21, Tuaran with 20, Keningau with 12, Semporna with nine, and Kudat with four.

While clusters have been detected in Kota Kinabalu, the Sandakan and Tawau prison and detention centres, the suburbs of Putatan and Penampang have also recorded high number of close contact cases due to its higher density population.

"They lie just outside the city, with high density, so according to our statistics, it is the same situation here,” he said.

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