COVID: 60 festival clusters reported within four weeks - Health DG

KUALA LUMPUR: Sixty festival clusters, with 58 of these involving Hari Raya Aidilfitri and two, the Hari Gawai celebration, were reported between May 13 and June 10.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said 13,023 individuals from these clusters were screened, with 3,511 or 27 per cent of them detected to be positive for COVID-19.

Out of the positive cases, 20 fatalities were reported and until now, 11 cases were still being treated at the intensive care units (ICUs).

"The states recording the highest number of festival clusters are Sabah with 11 clusters or 18.3 per cent, Sarawak (eight/13.3 per cent) and Kedah (seven/11.7 per cent).

"The increase in reported cases and fatalities from the festival clusters is regarded as serious and worrying as it occurred within a short time.

"If the people are still complacent and not learning lessons from doing house visits and inter-state travel during festival celebrations, it's not impossible for sudden surge in cases to occur in this country," he said in a statement today.

Hence, Dr Noor Hisham said, all parties should be responsible in protecting the vulnerable groups, especially their weak and sick parents in the kampung by not exposing them to the virus.

He said Malaysia should follow its neighbours which have managed to control their COVID-19 situation well, thus proving the good cooperation among all parties concerned and a high-level of compliance with the standard operating procedures set, so that life returning to normal could become a reality.

"Malaysians are urged to stay home if there is no urgent need to go out. Register yourself and your family members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for herd immunity and to create a safer environment for all levels of society," he added.

-- BERNAMA