THE spike in cases in the Sivagangga and Kurau clusters is due to visits, especially during the recent festive season, said director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

“Investigations done through active contact tracing as well as the screening done on close contacts showed that a bulk of the Covid-19 infections in both of these clusters were due to visiting activities during the festive season,” he said during the Covid-19 briefing in Putrajaya today.

The two clusters also saw the coronavirus being spread among family members, which included senior citizens and children as young as two years old.

As such, Noor Hisham said while visiting is now permitted, it is important to practise physical distancing even among family members or relatives.

He added that individuals who are unwell or symptomatic should avoid all forms of gatherings or festivities.

He also advised the public to wear a mask while visiting if physical distancing is not possible, in addition to frequently washing hands. 

Meanwhile, three more cases linked to the Kurau cluster were reported today.

The index case had close contact with the three new cases during a Hari Raya Aidiladha visit on July 30.

To date, there are five positive cases in the cluster and 125 people have been screened. 

As for the Sivagangga cluster, which saw 5,227 individuals being screened, 45 positive cases have thus far been detected across the three northern states of Perlis, Kedah and Penang. 

Noor Hisham added that the Institute of Medical Research is studying the genomics of the virus variant of the Sivagangga cluster to determine whether it belongs to the super spreader category.

The findings, he said, are likely to be known in a week. – August 10, 2020.