COVID-19: Three new clusters identified today - Health D-G

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Health (MOH) has identified three more new COVID-19 clusters today, namely, the Lekir Cluster in Perak, the Buntar Cluster involving Kedah, Perak and Putrajaya and the Merbok Cluster in Selangor.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the Lekir Cluster involved the Manjung district in Perak with the index case for the cluster (17,528th case) tested positive for COVID-19 after a symptomatic individual was screened on Oct 14, 2020 and warded at the Raja Permaisuri Bainum Hospital, Ipoh.

''Screenings of close contacts identified five more COVID-19 positive cases. As of 12 noon today, 144 individuals were screened with six cases found to be COVID-19 positive, two individuals negative and 136 individuals still waiting for results,'' he told a virtual media conference aired in the Facebook of MOH, today.

On the Buntar Cluster, he said it involved Kuala Muda, Kedah, Kerian district in Perak, and Putrajaya.

The index case for the cluster (the 18,035th case) was found COVID-19 positive following the screening of an individual with symptoms on Oct 15, 2020 who was admitted to the Sultanan Bahiyah Hospital, Kedah.

''Seven more COVID-19 positive cases were identified after the screenings of close contacts. As of Oct 16, 2020, at 12 noon, 51 individuals were screened with eight cases found COVID-19 positive and 43 individuals still waiting for results,'' he said.

For the Merbok Cluster, Dr Noor Hisham the cluster involved the Kuala Langat, Klang, Kuala Selangor and Petaling districts in Selangor.

He said the index for the cluster (17,983rd case) had been identified COVID-19 positive following the screening of an individual with symptoms on Oct 9, 2020 who had been admitted to the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

''Eight more COVID-19 positive cases were identified after the screenings of close contacts. As of Oct 16, 2020, at 12 noon, 270 individuals had been screened with nine cases detected to be COVID-19 positive and 261 individuals still waiting for results,'' he said.

In the meantime, he said that, overall, 38 cases (six per cent) today were from the Tembok Cluster, Remand Prison Cluster and Seberang Perai Prison Cluster and the cases involved were indeed isolated in prisons.

In addition, he also said that the Flower Cluster In Negeri Sembilan today had completed a 28-day monitoring and surveillance, resulting in the expiry of 104 clusters, to date, out of an overall 181 clusters which meant that there were only 77 more active clusters left.

-- BERNAMA