Covid-19 Watch: Another education cluster detected in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Another education cluster has been detected in Sabah, the 12th in the state involving students in January.

State Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said on Monday (Jan 31) the Lorong Api-Api Cluster index patient was an 18-year-old student with Almacrest International College here.

The student, who lived at the Api-Api Centre dormitory, started to show symptoms on Jan 18 and was found to be positive after seeking treatment on Jan 21, Masidi said in his daily media briefing.

Out of 40 screenings conducted subsequently, 34 students were found to be positive, he added.

"All those involved were under Categories 1 and 2 and were sent to a quarantine centre for the purpose of isolation and treatment," he said.

On Saturday (Jan 29), Sabah ordered all schools with active clusters to close for two to three weeks and reopen on advice of the Health Department.

Masidi said the number of new infections in Sabah for Monday was 367, a slight drop of six cases from Sunday (Jan 30).

Kota Kinabalu district recorded the highest number of positive cases with 84, or almost a quarter of the total, with new clusters responsible for a high number of cases.

Sandakan had 74 new cases, followed by Tuaran district with 50.

A total of 10 districts recorded cases in the double digits, 13 had new cases in single digits, and four districts did not record any new infections.

Of the new cases, 364 were in Category 1 and 2, while two cases were in Category 3.

There were no cases under Category 4 while one case was under Category 5, Masidi said.