BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Bulletin/ANN): Five more Covid-19 cases were confirmed, said Minister of Health Datuk Seri Setia Dr Mohd Isham Jaafar, bringing the total to 11 cases in Brunei Darussalam.
The five presumptive cases mentioned at the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) press conference on Tuesday have been confirmed for Covid-1, and they are currently being treated at the National Isolation Centre in Tutong District.
At a press conference yesterday, the Minister of Health said that the six other confirmed cases are currently in a stable condition without any fever or the need of a breathing support.
Case 2 is a 61-year-old local man who is a friend of Case 1 and was travelling together to attend a Tabligh (religious event) gathering in Kuala Lumpur and returned home, and Case 3 is the 30-year-old son of Case 2 who also attended the gathering with his father.
The other three cases are the 46-year-old wife of Case 1 and their two children aged 12 and five who have no records of travel within the 14 days. One of the children does not show any infection symptoms while the other has been experiencing coughing since March 10.
Case 7 and 8 are 32-year and 34-year-old locals from the same family who were also part of the group attending the religious gathering in Kuala Lumpur and returned to Brunei on March 4 on Malaysia Airlines flight MH2594 via Miri, Sarawak.
While Case 7 did not show any infection symptoms, Case 8 began to suffer from a flu on March 10 and contact tracing of these two cases are still being carried out.
Another participant of the same gathering, who has also been confirmed as Case 9, is a 59-year-old Bruneian. He also returned to Brunei via Miri, Sarawak on AirAsia flight AK3541 from Kuala Lumpur on March 3. The case began to show signs of infection (throat pain) two days later and did not leave home since then.
Case 10, a 33-year-old woman, is the wife of Case 3 while case 11 is a 52-year-old woman who is the wife of Case 9. Case 10 shows no infection symptoms while Case 11 began to experience coughing on March 10. Both cases have no records of travel to Kuala Lumpur and contact tracing of these two is ongoing.
The minister disclosed that these five new confirmed cases are all in a stable condition without fever and do not need breathing support.
He pointed out that the ministry is doing contact tracing for all the confirmed cases and Quarantine Order in accordance with the Contagious Disease Act Chapter 204 have been issued to all contacts of each Covid-19 case.
As of 2pm yesterday, more than 100 people have taken sample tests for Covid-19 with 66 laboratory tests have been carried out, and the remaining still awaiting results.
A Quarantine Order has been issued to 80 contacts of confirmed cases, the minister added.
It was also shared during the press conference that the 90 people who were at the religious gathering have reported themselves to the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital.
The ministry advised the public not to panic should the number of cases rise following the contact tracings. Members of the public involved in the contact tracing are urged to cooperate with the officers carrying out the responsibilities.
Dr Mohd Isham added that there is no evidence showing rampant spread of infection among the community, and said the situation is under control.
The MoH will continuously monitor the situation and inform members of the public on any latest updates and will continuously ensure that prevention measures and appropriate control are implemented according to needs.
In this regard, members of the public are advised to avoid direct contact with other people such as shaking hands and to avoid travel if there aren’t any important matters, said the minister, adding that mass gatherings are discouraged.
People attending mass gatherings such as weddings need to practise good hygiene and those who experience signs of infection are discouraged from attending such events. The ministry called on the public to be socially responsible.
Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, meanwhile, noted that the National Disaster Management Centre is working closely with the MoH in tackling Covid-19.
For the latest update, the public can visit the MoH’s website at www.moh.gov.bn or call the Health Advisory Line at 2381380 or 2381383 during office hours or Darussalam line 123 after office hours. - Borneo Bulletin/Asia News Network
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