KUCHING, Aug 18 — Universiti Malaysia Sarawak’s (Unimas) Institute of Health and Community Medicine (IHCM) has found that the Covid-19 Delta variant detection rate in Sarawak stood at over 73 per cent as of Aug 10.

Director Prof Dr David Perera said this was a sharp increase compared to the 50 per cent overall detection rate reported on Aug 3.

He pointed out that for Kuching Division, the Delta variant detection rate was approximately 90 per cent.

 "This variant also continues to be detected in Bau, Lundu, Kota Samarahan, Simunjan, Miri, and Bintulu.

"Additionally, we have detected six Delta variant cases in Sibu,” he said in his latest statement to State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas today.

Unimas is assisting SDMC to track Covid-19 variants circulating in the state.

 "As part of this ongoing surveillance, we would like to report that as of Aug 10, a total of 249 additional Variant of Concern (VOC) and Variant of Interest (VOI) were detected from 338 Covid-19 positive cases sequenced.

"Of these VOC/VOI, 248 were of the Delta Variant (B.1.617.2),” he said, adding that there was also a case of the recently described Indonesian VOI (B.1.466.2), which was detected in Bintulu.

Dr Perera said to date, a cumulative total of 592 VOC/VOI had been detected in Sarawak from positive Covid-19 cases recorded as of Aug 10.

The first case Delta variant case in Sarawak was detected on June 18. — Borneo Post