COVID-19: No report of long incubation period in Malaysia - Health DG

PUTRAJAYA:COVID-19 cases involving an incubation period of more than 14 days have never been reported in the country, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

However, he said such cases had been reported abroad.

"Most COVID-19 cases were detected on the seventh, eighth and up to the 13th day and 25 per cent of those quarantined showed symptoms on the 12th or 13th day.

"However, the 21-day (incubation) period has never been reported," he told a daily press conference on the development of COVID-19 here today.

He said this in reply to a question on the case of a woman who was reported to have returned to Sarawak from Labuan and tested positive in the third test that was done on the 18th day.

Dr Noor Hisham said the woman was screened on the 10th day and started having symptoms on the 11th day but she did not inform healthcare personnel.

He said so far a total of 1,181 travellers and permanent residents returning from abroad tested positive for COVID-19.

Of the total, 75 per cent tested positive on the first day while the remaining 25 per cent were confirmed positive after undergoing a screening on the 13th day.

-- BERNAMA