COVID-19: New cluster detected onboard berthed ship in Johor - Health DG

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 -- A new COVID-19 cluster has been detected among crew members of a ship that docked in Pasir Gudang, Johor. 

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the first case of the Orkim cluster is case 10572, an Indonesian crew member. 

“He signed on for duty in Singapore on Sept 10. He developed symptoms such as fever, cough, breathing difficulty and vomiting since Sept 13 but failed to inform his employers. 

“He then signed off on Sept 17 but only sought treatment at a private clinic five days later. He was then referred to Permai Hospital in Johor and tested positive for COVID-19 on Sept 23 and then transferred to the Enche' Besar Hajjah Khalsom hospital, Johor,” Dr Noor Hisham said in a statement on COVID-19 developments today. 

Another Indonesian crew member tested positive for the virus after screenings were carried out onboard the vessel. 

Dr Noor Hisham said the second case was asymptomatic and was also being treated at Enche' Besar Hajjah Khalsom hospital. 

“A total of 30 crew members were tested, two of which tested positive, 24 negative and four more were awaiting results,” he said, adding that preventive measures such as cleaning and disinfection of the vessel have been carried out while the source of infection is being investigated. 

On the latest status of the three Sabah clusters, he said the Bangau-Bangau cluster saw a surge of 74 cases, bringing the total to 134 cases, followed by 13 new cases in the Benteng LD cluster (total 743 cases) and two more new cases for the Laut cluster to make it 24 in total. 

As for the Sungai cluster in Kedah, seven new cases were reported, taking its tally to 98 cases, he said, adding that close contact tracing and active case detection were ongoing. 

-- BERNAMA