Dr Noor Hisham: 85 Covid-19 cases detected so far from Parliament cluster

(MMO) – The Ministry of Health has confirmed 85 Covid-19 cases to date from the Parliament cluster, said director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

In a statement today, Dr Noor Hisham explained that 56 cases were from Covid-19 screening prior to the first Dewan Rakyat sitting on July 26 while 17 cases were detected during the proceedings.

“To date, there are a total of 85 Covid-19 positive cases (confirmed by RT-PCR test) in which, 56 cases were identified as a result of pre-Dewan Rakyat screening and four close contact cases, 17 related cases were detected during the Dewan Rakyat sitting,’’ he said, adding that out of the 17 cases, nine were previously reported while five cases were detected between July 30 and August 5.

So far, six samples collected from the Parliament cluster were believed to be of the Delta variant but the ministry was still verifying this via the Institute of Medical Research, said Dr Noor Hisham.

Dr Noor Hisham also said that investigations showed that the spread of the coronavirus at Parliament could have been through public spaces such as prayer rooms and restrooms.

He advised any who physically attended Parliament during any of the sittings to monitor themselves and to test for Covid-19 if they began displaying signs of infection.

The special parliamentary meeting was originally set for five days from July 26 to 29 as well as August 2, but the final Monday sitting was postponed indefinitely after Covid-19 cases were confirmed at the location.