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Kedah sees 34.5pc spike in Covid-19 cases; situation under control

ALOR STAR: Kedah has recorded 491 new Covid-19 infections, a jump of 34.5 per cent in the Epidemiology Week 28 (EW28) between July 10 to 16, compared with the previous week.

State Health and Local Government committee chairman Datuk Dr Mohd Hayati Othman, however said, the situation was under control and the health authority was monitoring the situation.

"The majority of the positive cases reported last week were detected from health screening done on symptomatic patients with 53.6 per cent from the total fresh cases.

"This was followed by positive cases detected from screening done on close contacts with 15.7 per cent and self-test screening with 15.3 per cent," he said in a statement.

Dr Hayati said the state recorded 109 new positive cases yesterday, with the majority of the patients belonging to the 19 to 59 age group.

He said 18 cases, or 16.5 per cent of the positive cases reported yesterday, involved those aged 60 and above.

"The Covid-19 pandemic situation in the state is under control for now and the authorities are monitoring the situation closely," he said.

Dr Hayati added that most of the positive cases only showed minor symptoms and were being placed under home quarantine.

He said the patients' health condition was being monitored by the Covid-19 Evaluation Centres operating at health clinic facilities and virtually.

Since the Covid-19 Quarantine and Treatment Centres in the state have been shut down since May 15, he said patients who required treatment were admitted into Covid-19 wards at public hospitals.

Meanwhile, Dr Hayati said the Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) outbreak had recorded a downward trend in the state last week.

He said only one new ILI/URTI outbreak was detected in Kedah, involving a higher learning institution in EW28.

He said to date, there were 24 outbreaks of of ILI/URTI reported in Kuala Muda, Sik (four clusters), Baling and Bandar Baharu (three outbreaks), Kubang Pasu and Yan (two outbreaks) and Kota Setar, Kulim, Langkawi and Pendang districts each with one outbreak case reported.

As for Hand, Foot and Mouth (HFMD) disease, Dr Hayati said it also recorded a declining trend, with a drop of 43.6 per cent compared with the previous week.

He said there were 105 new cases of HFMD reported in the state in EW28, a decline of 81 cases as compared with the previous week, with no fresh outbreak being recorded.

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