KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Health authorities reported today a new Covid-19 cluster at the Semenyih immigration detention depot in Selangor, with three cases so far involving two Malaysian immigration officers and a foreign detainee
According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), the index case (Patient 9,302) of the DTI Semenyih 2 cluster was a non-national detainee who was screened for Covid-19 as the person was bound for deportation to their country of origin. The person tested positive for the virus last August 27.
The second (Patient 9,382) and third case (Patient 9,384) of this cluster were immigration officers at the immigration detention centre who had accompanied the index case to a public health clinic for coronavirus screening.
“They were two of four immigration officers who had accompanied the index case that had tested positive for Covid-19,” Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a statement.
“The source of infection is still under investigation.”
A total of 269 people have been screened as of September 4, following active case detection and close contact screening.
Two of the positive Covid-19 cases in the DTI Semenyih 2 cluster were found in Selangor out of 265 people screened. A total of 123 individuals in the state tested negative, while 140 are awaiting test results.
One positive Covid-19 case in that cluster was detected in Negri Sembilan out of four people screened, while three individuals are awaiting test results.
Coronavirus screenings for the cluster were performed on 134 detainees, 129 staff at the immigration detention centre, and six family members of staff.
Dr Noor Hisham urged frontliners to take preventive measures whenever they handle positive Covid-19 cases, suspected coronavirus cases, and patients-under-investigation, such as wearing appropriate protective clothing, practicing at least one-metre physical distancing, and optimum hand hygiene.
Besides the two new Malaysian coronavirus cases reported in the DTI Semenyih 2 cluster, another local transmission was reported — involving a foreign detainee held at the Beranang temporary detention centre in Selangor, who was bound for their country of origin.
MOH also reported one new case, infecting a Malaysian, in the Telaga cluster in Kedah that has detected eight positive cases so far, all of which were found in the northern state.
Besides the four locally transmitted cases (two in DTI Semenyih 2 cluster, one in Telaga cluster, and one foreigner at the Beranang detention centre), MOH also reported seven new imported infections, leading to a daily Covid-19 tally of 11 today.
The seven imported cases — involving two Malaysians and five foreigners — came from India (five cases), Saudi Arabia (one case), and the United Kingdom (one case), all of which were detected in Kuala Lumpur.
Active Covid-19 cases in Malaysia number 165, with the total cases hitting 9,385. No new fatalities from coronavirus were reported today, with the death toll remaining at 128.
