KUCHING: Kuching’s status as a Covid-19 green zone has ended in just two days after two new cases were recorded here today.
“With the two new cases, Kuching is now a yellow zone. Other districts in the state remain classified as green zones as there have been no locally transmitted cases in the last 14 days,” said a statement from the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC).
This brings the total cumulative tally of positive cases in Sarawak to 575, added SDMC.
Both cases are cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), which is likely to be local transmissions as both have no history of traveling overseas.
The 574th case involves a local man who has been treated at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) on July 5 for shortness of breath and lethargy since July 1.
The patient, who has high blood pressure and diabetes, was subsequently admitted to the isolation ward. A real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test found that he had the virus on July 9.
The 575th case involves local woman working at an engineering consulting company in Kuching. She sought treatment at SGH on July 7 and was admitted to the women’s ward for chest pain and dry cough.
She tested positive for the virus on July 9.
Contact tracing has been initiated and their contacts have been identified.
For the 574th case, the contacts are the patient’s immediate family members, while for the 575th case, a total of 30 contacts were traced, identified and given quarantine instructions as well as screening. Her workplace was temporarily closed for disinfection.
The source of infection for both cases is still under investigation.
Meanwhile, SDMC also informed that there is one case of recovery and discharge from Sibu Hospital. To date, 552 or 96 per cent of total cases have recovered from the disease and have been discharged.
“There are 43 new persons-under-investigation (PUIs),” it said.
The cumulative total of PUIs is 8,594 to-date.
The statement also informed that to-date there are six patients still under treatment at isolation wards.
On persons-under-surveillance (PUS) cases, there are currently 73 individuals who have checked into hotels for their compulsory quarantine as of today. This brings the total of current PUS to 504 individuals at 11 hotels statewide.
To-date, those who have completed their quarantine period numbered at 18,227.
With no deaths reported, the death toll from the disease in the state remains at 17 or 2.96 per cent of total cases.