Pulapol cluster accounts for 10% of Sarawak's record high 607 Covid-19 cases

KUCHING: A new cluster at the police training centre at Jalan Puncak Borneo here has contributed to Sarawak's new record high of 607 Covid-19 cases on Tuesday (April 13).

The state disaster management committee said 61 cases were detected in the cluster involving trainees at the centre.

"The index case tested positive on April 12 after undergoing screening for symptomatic individuals at the Kota Sentosa health clinic here on April 9.

"After further screening of close contacts and fellow trainees, 60 positive cases were detected," it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The committee said the infection in the cluster spread through close interaction and lack of physical distancing among the trainees.

Of the 607 new cases, it said 363 were close contacts of Covid-19 patients and 174 were detected through screening of active clusters.

There were also nine imported cases involving individuals returning from other states in Malaysia while the rest were detected through screening at health facilities.

Bintulu district reported the highest number of new cases with 130, followed by Kuching and Sibu with 106 each, Mukah (52), Miri (49), Kapit (33), Meradong (29), Saratok (23), Samarahan and Sarikei (14 each), Betong, Bukit Mabong, Selangau and Subis (eight each), Dalat (five), Kanowit and Matu (three each), Julau, Serian and Sri Aman (two each) and Asajaya and Beluru (one each).

The committee also said there were four new deaths, one in Miri Hospital and three in Sibu Hospital

The state's tally of confirmed cases now stands at 20,959 with 128 deaths.

Meanwhile, the committee said the Pasai cluster, the largest in the state to date with over 2,000 cases, had ended after recording no new cases for the last 28 days.

It said the Buloh cluster in Selangau was also declared to have ended, leaving 48 active clusters remaining in the state.