Brunei: Six people found with Covid-19 antibodies

(Xinhua) – Six people were found to have antibodies for Covid-19 (coronavirus) in a nationwide random community survey, Brunei’s Ministry of Health said on Sunday (May 10).

According to the health ministry, this Covid-19 survey, which was conducted from May 4 to May 6, 2020, aimed to provide an overview of the estimated rates of Covid-19 infection among the community in the country, and were participated by 527 people out of five selected health facilities nationwide.

Six participants in the survey had antibodies for the virus, however, further investigation via swab testing for the Covid-19 virus has tested them all negative.

This gives the impression that they may have been infected with the virus but they do not have an active infection at this time.

The results of the kind of research can help estimate the population’s immunity for a certain infection, the health ministry said, adding that the ministry is planning to conduct a follow-up investigation in the coming months.

Brunei reported no new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, with the national tally of cases standing at 141. No new recoveries were recorded on Saturday, maintaining the total number of recovered cases at 132.

The number of active cases being treated at the National Isolation Center is still eight. Two patients remain in critical condition.

One of them requires Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and respiratory assistance and one case only requires respiratory assistance. The rest are in a stable condition.

There has been one death resulting from the Covid-19 in Brunei.

So far 132 individuals are still undergoing quarantine and 2,575 people have completed the quarantine period. Some 15,482 laboratory tests for COVID-19 have been conducted.