MOH Records 14 New Covid-19 Cases, Mandates Screening At Detention Depots

All staff and new detainees at detention depots must undergo Covid-19 tests.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) today reported 14 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 8,529.

Three imported cases were reported today. Of the 11 locally transmitted cases, seven cases involved foreigners and four cases were identified among Malaysians.

One of the foreigners who contracted the coronavirus was identified as a close contact of Patient 8,455 and Patient 8,508 in Kuala Lumpur. They were housemates.

Another foreign Covid-19 patient, who was identified as a close contact of Patient 8,498, was also a housemate of the patient.

The balance five foreigners consisted of a family member of Patient 8,368 in Selangor, a detainee in Penampang lockup in Sabah, and a person identified from the screening process before returning to home country in Perak.

Two foreign workers from the construction industry in Sarawak were also detected with Covid-19 during the screening process .

Two Malaysian staff from the Bukit Jalil immigration detention centre tested positive for Covid-19.

A patient was identified with the coronavirus from pre-surgery screening in Sarawak General Hospital. Another Covid-19 patient in Sarawak was discovered during the screening process before leaving for abroad.

The Ministry of Health also stated that 127 patients were discharged today. The total number of recovered patients in the country rose to 8,000.

A total of 408 patients are still receiving treatment in hospital, whereas four patients were placed in the intensive care unit (ICU).

No death was recorded today. Thus, the death toll of the country due to Covid-19 remains at 121.

One of the targeted approach activities for high-risk groups conducted by MOH is Covid-19 screening at detention centres.

The high Covid-19 positive cases among foreign detainees in detention depots led MOH to classify the category as a high-risk group and to focus on the detainees as below:

  • All new detainees at detention centres are required to undergo Covid-19 tests;
  • All detainees are required to undergo coronavirus sampling before shifting to another detention centre;
  • All detainees will be screened for Covid-19 before deportation to their home countries;
  • All staff in detention centres must undergo Covid-19 tests;
  • Random sampling tests will be carried out by the District Health Office or State Health Department to conduct risk assessment.

So far, a total of 13,149 individuals at detention centres have undergone Covid-19 sampling, where 782 cases were detected with coronavirus. A total of 11,564 tested negative for the virus, whereas 803 are still waiting for their result.

Out of the total number of positive cases in detention centres, seven cases involved Malaysians while 775 were foreigners.

Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya recorded the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases in detention centres at 651 in both areas, out of the total 782 Covid-19 cases. This was followed by Selangor with 126 cases, Sabah (three), and Melaka (two).

Four immigration detention centres have reported Covid-19 infections, predominantly among foreign detainees. The Bukit Jalil facility here has seen over 600 coronavirus cases.

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