Covid-19: 25 new cases in Sabah, psychiatric help for patients

KOTA KINABALU: Twenty-five new Covid-19 cases have been recorded in Sabah, bringing the total number to 82 as of Tuesday (March 17), says state Health Department director Datuk Dr Christina Rundi.

The first positive cases were detected in Tawau on March 13, and all were mainly linked to the Sri Petaling Mosque tabligh gathering in Kuala Lumpur from Feb 29 to March 1.

This follows a Facebook post on Tuesday by Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, who said that a total of 2,426 tabligh participants from Sabah who attended the Sri Petaling Mosque gathering have been identified.

This is one of the largest groups identified from the gathering of some 14,000 people.

He said they screened 1,895 of them with some 854 samples taken so far while they were still waiting for results on 608. A total of 884 of have been asked to go on self-quarantine while the test results for 197 of them came up negative.

In her statement late Tuesday, Dr Rundi said that they have also initiated mental health wellness and psychosocial support for confirmed Covid-19 patients, persons under investigations (PUI) and persons under surveillance (PUS) since Monday (March 16).

She said psychiatrists would contact the patients and provide psycho-education through digital means.

Dr Rundi added that infographic information, DASS 21 (Depression,

Anxiety and Stress Scale) as well as Mental Health Alerts Cards would be delivered digitally to the patients who contact the operations centre at 088-230987.

She said that it will run seven days a week from 8am to 5pm, and added that the service is only for patients who need psychological services and support.

Dr Rundi also said that the Tawau health clinic, will begin operations from 8am to 9pm from Monday to Friday and 8am until noon, on weekends and public holidays beginning Thursday (March 19).

She also urged the public to maintain high levels of personal hygiene and ensure that they remain hydrated and avoid personal contacts and crowds.

Dr Rundi added that people should immediately seek medical assistance if they experience fever, coughing and difficulty breathing,

She also urged people to not share share unverified reports of purported Covid-19 cases that have not been confirmed by the Health Ministry and added that any necessary information can be obtained from the Ministry at www.moh.gov.my.