COVID-19: 702 cases reported in Sabah today include backlog test results - Masidi

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 18  -- The high number of COVID-19 cases reported in Sabah today includes results from a backlog of samples taken earlier says Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

However, he said he could not give a complete breakdown of the number of cases as it had not yet been determined, and required a rather complicated process to do so.

He said as at the beginning of the month, there was still a backlog of 18,000 COVID-19 test results yet to be determined, however,  with the swift actions of all parties including the Ministry of Health (MOH), it has now been reduced to 11,000.

"But in the next two or three days, we expect the number of cases detected to be higher as we are conducting tests at a much faster rate, and we will get to know the test results from the backlog.

"Therefore, the public is urged not to panic and continue to practice the SOPs (standard operating procedures) for us to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation in Sabah is still under control and we still have the means to contain it," he said during a press conference at Wisma Innoprise here tonight.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah earlier reported that Sabah was still the state with the highest number of new COVID-19 cases today with 702, or 80.6 per cent of the 871 cases recorded in Malaysia.

Masidi said the high number of positive cases reported was also due to aggressive targeted testing being done in 15 red zone districts, namely Tawau, Lahad Datu, Semporna, Kunak, Tuaran, Penampang, Putatan, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Papar, Kota Kelud, Keningau, Tambunan, Beaufort and Ranau.

"People do not have to worry because infection prevention measures have been implemented by the Sabah State Health Department, where 1,577 people have been quarantined at designated centres in the state, while 29,470 have been ordered to undergo home quarantine," he said.

Meanwhile, he said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor was expected to resume his duties by the middle of next week after recovering from COVID-19 and being discharged from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here today.

-- BERNAMA