Kota Kinabalu: Cases in Penampang quadrupled to 48 on Saturday from 12 the day earlier, pushing Sabah’s caseload to a new high of 127 which saw an increase of close contacts.Sabah’s Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said half of Penampang’s cases as well as 10 out of 32 cases in Kota Kinabalu were close contacts.
Overall, 33 per cent of the State’s caseload on Saturday were close contacts, while sporadic infections were 51 per cent. Close contacts were 15.65 per cent on Friday.
“With the rise of daily cases especially in densely populated areas, the percentage of close contacts have also begun to increase. The number is expected to multiply every day (multiplier effect) if more people are exposed to carriers of the Covid-19 virus,” he said in a statement, Saturday.
He added that a total of 13 districts recorded at least one new infection. 12 districts are still infection-free.
As such, Masidi urged the public not to neglect standard operating procedure (SOP) compliance, especially in crowded places.
“Taking into account the current development of Covid-19 figures in Sabah, it is highly recommended that the community complies with all SOPs enforced to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“Do not ignore SOPs,” he stressed.
No deaths or new clusters were identified. Masidi said 125 out of 127 cases were category one and two infections, while two cases were recorded in category five.
