KOTA KINABALU: Covid-19 cases in urban areas are increasing in Sabah.
State Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said except for cases involving clusters, an increase was detected in urban areas because infections easily occur in the workplace and during social interactions.
He reminded every Sabahan to strictly follow the standard operating procedures (SOP) especially physical distancing, the use of face masks, limiting movements, and to stay at home and only go out when necessary, as well as to reduce social activities.
"Kota Kinabalu district recorded an increase of 110 cases from 241 cases yesterday, where almost 66 per cent were close contacts, while 83 people or 24 per cent were from symptomatic screening.
"Tuaran recorded an increase from 143 cases to 152 cases, Tawau from 135 cases to 160 cases, Penampang from 92 cases to 113 cases, and Putatan from 23 cases to 64 cases.
"Telupid cases also increased from seven to 72 cases with 68 cases from the Gambaron 2 cluster, while Kinabatangan went from 17 cases to 61 cases with 60 cases from the Pauh cluster," he said in a statement.
Today, Sabah recorded 1,379 new cases with five fatalities – in Kota Kinabalu (two), Tuaran (two) and Sipitang (one).
Masidi said close contact screenings continued to be the highest contributor of daily Covid-19 cases in Sabah with 752 infections or 54.53 per cent.
This was followed by 265 cases recorded from symptomatic screenings, 172 from clusters, 99 from targeted screenings, and 91 from other screenings.
"Covid-19 cases keep increasing, and most of them are from close contact screenings where it can be concluded that many people did not comply with the SOP despite various calls and recommendations by the government," he said.
Masidi added 1,277 out of 1,379 cases today are from Category 1 and 2, in which patients only display mild symptoms or none at all.
"Sabah also recorded two patients in Category 3, three in Category 4 and two patients in Category 5. Patients in Category 4 and 5 require intensive care . Another 95 cases are still under investigation to determine their category," he said.
Meanwhile, 463 Covid-19 patients had recovered and were discharged from hospitals today, taking the cumulative recoveries to 81,713.
