PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry is still investigating the cause of the Covid-19 infection involving a cluster of factory workers in Pedas, Negri Sembilan, which has recorded 60 confirmed cases to date.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the ministry detected the cluster after a worker from the factory developed symptoms related to the virus on April 5.
"As was announced on May 2, the ministry detected a cluster involving workers from a factory in Pedas, Negri Sembilan.
"A factory worker was suffering from fever, cough, flu, shortness of breath and headache on April 5.
"The factory worker underwent Covid-19 screening when he sought treatment at a health clinic on April 10.
"The results two days later showed that the factory worker was positive with Covid-19," Dr Noor Hisham told a press briefing here today.
The ministry then initiated a probe and close contact tracing of the factory worker.
"As of noon today, a total 789 people (who are close contacts of the factory worker) comprising workers at the factory and family members have been screened for Covid-19.
"A total 60 of them tested positive for Covid-19, while test results for 286 others were negative.
"The ministry is still waiting for the results for the remaining 440," he said.
The workers who tested positive for the infection comprised 25 Nepalese, 18 from Bangladesh, eight Indonesians, and two from Myanmar.
"Seven of those infected are locals," he said.