FIVE out of 10 patients screened in Semporna, Sabah, tested positive for Covid-19, said Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. 

The district has the highest infection rate in the state, he told a press conference in Putrajaya today.

“In Semporna, initially, for every 10 patients swabbed, five would be positive. 

“The highest (infection rate) is certainly in Semporna. Other states were not as high,” he said in a press conference in Putrajaya today. 

Semporna currently has 1,030 active Covid-19 cases. Sabah, as a whole, has 8,746 cases since the onset of the pandemic.

Noor Hisham said one of the reasons for the spike in Semporna’s number of cases is the entry of individuals from neighbouring countries. 

However, with Semporna now under lockdown and border controls implemented, he said the number of imported cases should reduce.

On September 28, Semporna was placed under targeted enhanced movement-control order (TEMCO). 

On October 9, six localities in Semporna were placed under EMCO. 

Nationwide, from records taken from September 20 till today, a total of 452 positive Covid-19 cases have had a travel history to Sabah and returned to their homes in 63 districts across the nation. 

There are also 27 clusters that have index cases being people who returned from Sabah. 

Today Malaysia recorded 862 new cases, with Sabah contributing 673 cases. There were also three fatalities putting the national death toll at 193. – October 20, 2020.