A TOTAL of 24 healthcare workers have been tested positive for Covid-19, of which 19 are from the public health sector, Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.

He said the 19 cases are linked to the tabligh cluster.

“The cause of infection of all 19 Health Ministry staff is not due to lack of compliance when handling Covid-19 cases at their respective healthcare facilities,” he said at a press conference this evening.

“Investigations revealed that all of them (public healthcare staff) were close contacts of the first and second wave of the tabligh cluster.”

Two ministry staff members are currently warded at the intensive care unit in Ipoh.

As of March 14, a total of 337 ministry staff have undergone screening of which 251 have been tested negative.

Another 86 are awaiting results.

Hisham said the healthcare professionals who were infected did not contract the virus while treating Covid-19 patients as they donned their protective gear.

“If we look at officers or ministry healthcare staff infected, they were not those who were treating Covid-19 patients.

“They have to wear infection control (gear) and protect themselves before entering the ward. Hence, not even one ministry staff working in Covid-19 wards (contracted it).

“Those infected were the ones who contracted the virus outside and had spread the disease to their colleagues after coming back to the hospitals,” he said.

Malaysia today reported three new Covid-19 deaths – a 50-year-old man from Malacca, and a mother and daughter duo from Sarawak.

There were 153 new cases reported today, bringing the total to 1,183 cases. – March 21, 2020.