PASAI, Sarawak’s largest cluster with 1,094 Covid-19 infections, and growing, saw its first death today. 

The victim is a 66-year-old who died at 3.11am in the Sibu hospital. 

Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah, who chairs the state disaster management committee, said the victim – one of two people to die from the infection today – was admitted to the Sibu hospital last Sunday after he complained of breathing difficulties. 

In his daily media updates on the pandemic situation in the state late this afternoon, Uggah said the victim was intubated immediately on admission. 

The victim, he added, was also a diabetic and had high blood pressure and asthma.

The state’s other death was a 48-year-old from Miri who died in the district’s hospital at 2.04am yesterday. 

The Miri victim was admitted to hospital on Tuesday with “excessive liquid in his body” due to the chronic kidney problem he had.

A test taken on Wednesday showed he was positive for Covid-19. 

Uggah said the victim also suffered from diabetes, high blood pressure and dislipdemia – an abnormal amount of lipids in the blood. 

The spread of the infection from the Pasai cluster was such it had today forced the committee to revise its guidelines on funeral ceremonies. 

The epicentre of the cluster was a longhouse in the Pasai area on the outskirts of Sibu last month from a funeral that took place there at the end of last month. 

The state health department has so far screened more than 10,200 people exposed to the cluster and their active case detection drive does not look like it is ending any time soon. 

Of the 229 cases reported today – the highest figure recorded in the state to date – 112 were from the Pasai cluster. 

The committee today has also decided to revise the maximum number of people allowed at a funeral wake in areas under the conditional movement-control (MCO) order to 50 and 30 at the burial site. 

In areas under the MCO, where movements are tightly controlled, only immediate families are allowed to the wake and cemetery.

Sibu, Kanowit and Selangau districts are the only areas in the state under MCO. – January 22, 2021.