Sarawak pastor dies

KUCHING: A pastor from Emmanuel Baptist Church here has succumbed to Covid-19, but his source of infection is not known yet.

David Cheng (pic), 60, died at the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) at 11am yesterday, one of the nation’s first two coronavirus-related deaths.

He was admitted last Saturday after testing positive for the virus.

Malaysia’s other casualty is a 34-year-old man who died in Johor.

Cheng was the worship pastor at his church and had written many songs. He was known for his singing and musical abilities.

In 2011, he released his debut album, Over All, with 12 original songs, including two in Mandarin.

Pastor Lim Gee Tiong of Blessed Church here, who is a fellow songwriter, said Cheng was his inspiration.

“When I was just a schoolboy, I saw him playing the guitar and leading the worship once. I was very impressed and wished I could play the guitar and sing like him.

“We became good friends and fellow ‘singing pastors’ many years later. He was good fun to be with and had always been very encouraging and supportive towards my ministry, ” he said, adding that Cheng’s sudden departure was shocking and surreal.

“He will be dearly missed but I’m sure he’s dancing and singing joyfully with Jesus now, ” Lim said.

The Sarawak disaster management committee said the state Health Department was still in the process of identifying the source of Cheng’s infection.

“Meanwhile, 193 close contacts of the deceased have been traced and are undergoing home quarantine, ” the committee said in a statement.

It also said that Sarawak reported 11 new positive cases yesterday, comprising six from Kuching, three from Limbang and one each from Betong and Lawas.

They are being treated at SGH, Sibu Hospital and Miri Hospital.

A further 35 persons under investigation were also reported yesterday, while 204 patients are awaiting results.

The number of Covid-19 cases in Sarawak now stands at 45.

The committee said the cases had so far been traced to four clusters, including the Sri Petaling mosque gathering, a church cluster in Kuching, a cluster in Sarikei and another cluster in Kuching whose source has not been identified.