One hundred and fifteen new cases and one new COVID-19 cluster were reported on Friday, leading the total number of COVID-19 cases in Brunei to 2,380 announced the minister of health.
Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Md Isham Hj Jaafar in a press conference said that the new cluster brings the total number of active clusters to 43 and it is known as Cluster 2262, containing six cases.
The minister also announced 48 additional new cases to 13 of the existing active clusters.
“The cases in these active clusters are individuals who are currently being quarantined and were found to be in contact with several confirmed cases,” he said.
Out of the new cases, three were imported who arrived in the sultanate on 13 August 2021; one case arrived from the Netherlands via Singapore; one case arrived from the Netherlands via Kuala Lumpur; and one case arrived from Ireland via Kuala Lumpur.
Meanwhile, 59 cases are still being investigated to determine the
source of the infection, said the minister, adding that contact tracing for all these new cases is in full swing and identified close contacts are required to undergo mandatory quarantine and SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing.
YB Dato Dr Hj Md Isham also announced 35 cases have recovered, bringing the total of recovered cases to 613.
Currently, there are 1,757 active cases in the country and among these cases, five are in critical condition; four patients requiring ventilators and one patient is with the heart/lung machine (ECMO).
Meanwhile, 29 cases have been admitted at the Intensive Care Unit for close monitoring.
Pregnant women at NIC
The health minister further announced that there are eight pregnant women currently being treated at the National Isolation Centre.
“On 26 August 2021, one more case who was also a pregnant woman has safely delivered a baby boy at the centre. At this time, both the mother and
child are in good health,” said the minister.
Lab test and current positive cases
In the past 24 hours, a total of 3,658 samples have been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus which brings the total number of laboratory tests conducted from January 2020 to 220,826.
“In regards to some cases that have been confirmed positive but are still waiting to be transferred to the National Isolation Centre, the Ministry of Health would like to inform that efforts are underway to transfer them to designated isolation centres for monitoring and treatment,” said YB Dato Dr Hj Md Isham.
The minister further added that priority will be given to those who really need immediate medical treatment such as those suffering from shortness of breath, high fever or diarrhoea.
In relation to that, there are some positive cases that were found to be asymptomatic or only have mild signs of infection.
These cases are advised to continue to self-isolate from other family members and call the Ambulance Emergency Line 991 if the signs of infection become severe.
Health Advice Line
The minister also shared that the Health Advice Line 148 service receives about 1,000 calls, 100 emails and up to 2,000 messages via social media (WhatsApp and Telegram) daily.
“Currently, most public inquiries are related to the delivery of food aid and quarantine order that are issued to contacts of cases who are confirmed positive. Any inquiries related to quarantine will be given a reference code and subsequently channeled to the Quarantine Appeal Team,” he said.
He further said that individuals contacted by the Quarantine Appeal Team are requested to provide the required information in full including the reference code provided when making the appeal to enable the quarantine appeal by the individual to be assessed properly and thoroughly.
“The quarantine appeal process will take up to five working days,” concluded the minister.
For further information and latest updates, please visit the official website of the Ministry of Health at www.moh.gov.bn or by contacting the Health Advice Line 148 or email to askhal@moh.gov.bn through the BruHealth App.
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
