KOTA KINABALU: A new Covid-19 cluster involving an educational institution has been detected in Sabah, with 27 cases recorded so far.
Sabah Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the index case was a female student aged 20.
"The Jalan Tuaran Bakut cluster was found at the hostel of Teachers Training Institute Kent (new campus) Tuaran.
"The student was tested positive for Covid-19 on Nov 27 during a symptomatic screening. Close contact screenings found 26 more positive students who lived in the same hostel as the index patient.
"The cause of the infection is still under investigation. However, the transmission is suspected to be due to the students' social activities in the hostel. All patients have been isolated and given treatment," he said in a statement.
This was the fourth cluster found at an educational institution in the recent weeks in Sabah, with the first three discovered at two schools and a Polytechnic college.
Today, Sabah recorded 322 new infections with five fatalities – one each in Ranau, Lahad Datu, Sipitang, Kota Marudu and Penampang.
Masidi said 97 per cent of the cases were in Categories 1 and 2. Only two cases were in each Category 3, 4 and 5.
There are 321 recoveries, while 1,195 patients still receiving treatment in the state.