Dr Noor Hisham: New ‘Novgorod’ cluster detected in Melaka, index case a Malaysian who came back from Russia
KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — The Health Ministry today revealed a new Covid-19 cluster discovered in Melaka, with its index case a Malaysian who returned from Russia last week.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the index case was local infection number 8,673, who tested positive at the Malaysian border upon arriving here on July 5.
The new cluster was named the Novgorod PUI (patient under investigation) cluster, currently with three active cases detected.
Explaining its emergence, Dr Noor Hisham said the second case of the Novgorod cluster was local infection number 8,718, a friend of the index case who was on the same return flight.
“The results of the Covid-19 screening for Case 8,718 at the border entering the country had come back negative, but the person started experiencing symptoms such as a fever and respiratory tract infection symptoms on July 7.
“A second screening came back positive for Covid-19,” Dr Noor Hisham said in a statement today.
The third case of the cluster was detected in the last 24 hours — Case 8,724, who is the father of Case 8,718.
Dr Noor Hisham explained that upon returning home, family members of Case 8,718 had welcomed his arrival at the airport on July 6.
“A total of four family members came together in their cars to pick the person up at the international border.
“Investigations later showed that the father (of the returning traveller), Case 8,724, had later tested positive for Covid-19 after he started experiencing a fever,” he said.
To date, Dr Noor Hisham said a total of 14 close contacts have been screened so far as a result of the infections, with all tests coming back negative.
He said that contact tracing measures of those affected by the cluster will continue.
Malaysia today recorded seven new Covid-19 cases, six imported, and only one local transmission that was attributed to the new Novgorod cluster.
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