Covid-19: Six new deaths in Sarawak including two women in their 30s

KUCHING: Two women in their 30s were among six new deaths from Covid-19 reported in Sarawak on Monday (April 26), the state's highest number of fatalities in a day to date.

The state disaster management committee said a 33-year-old woman, who was brought to the Kapit Hospital after being found unconscious at home by her family, died on April 21 and confirmed positive for Covid-19 on the same day.

She had comorbidities of hypertension, diabetes and obesity.

Another woman aged 35, who also had obesity, died at the same hospital on April 23 after being admitted for breathing difficulties. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test returned positive on April 23.

The committee said the other deaths were three women and a man ranging in age from 48 to 75 years who passed away at Kapit Hospital, Sarikei Hospital and Bintulu Hospital between April 22 and 25.

All had comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes, the committee said in a statement on Monday (April 26).

Sarawak's death toll from Covid-19 now stands at 162.

The committee also said Sarawak reported 615 new cases on Monday, taking the state's tally to 28,529.

Of the new cases, 428 were close contacts of Covid-19 patients and 91 were detected through screening of active clusters in the state.

There were also four imported cases involving individuals returning from other states.

The committee added that three new clusters were identified, including two involving secondary schools.

In the Sungai Senibung cluster, the index case is a 15-year-old boarding student at a secondary school in Julau who tested positive on April 20.

"Targeted screening of the school's staff and students resulted in 13 more positive cases.

"To date, 290 individuals have been screened in this cluster," the committee said.

The Jalan Sebauh-Bintulu cluster involves a secondary school and three longhouses in Sebauh, where the index case, a 21-year-old man from a longhouse, tested positive on April 13.

"Further investigation found that two secondary school students who had contact with the index case tested positive on April 21," said the committee.

Following contact tracing and targeted screening, the cluster currently has 67 confirmed cases, including 20 students.

Meanwhile, the Pondok cluster is a workplace cluster at a government office in Belaga.

The cluster has nine confirmed cases to date after the index case was detected on April 21.