COVID: Sabah records fifth educational institution-linked cluster

Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the new cluster, Bypass Kologon-Ranau cluster is the fifth cluster linked to educational institutions reported in Sabah in a period of a week since last Sunday.

Masidi said the new cluster was sparked when the index case, a female student, 16, was confirmed COVID-19 positive on Jan 19 before six other individuals were infected.

"The index case exhibited symptoms since Jan 17 and conducted a self-test on the same day. As soon as she found out she was COVID-19 positive, she informed the school and was quarantined, before being brought to the clinic on Jan 19 to conduct a confirmation screening test and was confirmed positive.

"Screenings of 70 contacts successfully detected another six positive cases, for a total of seven cases. All cases are in category one and two and have been isolated and treated," he said in a statement last night.

Four other clusters involving educational institutions in the state were previously reported at Putatan (Pandan-Pandan cluster); Sandakan (Jalan Pertukangan cluster); Ranau (Puri Ranau cluster); and Tambunan (Jalan Kepayan Lama cluster).

Masidi, the Sabah COVID-19 spokesman, said 218 new cases were recorded yesterday for a total of 245,473 cases in the state.

He added that there were 171 recoveries in Sabah for a total of 237,684 recoveries in the state, with 687 patients still being treated. One death was reported in Papar yesterday.