Brunei Darussalam’s COVID-19 death toll has increased to 11 as two more positive cases have passed away, announced the Ministry of Health yesterday.
Speaking during a press conference on Wednesday, Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Md Isham said that the deceased were Case 188, a 25 year old male who was reported positive on 24th August and Case 449, a 54 year old woman who was reported positive on 12th August.
“Both cases suffered from lung infection after being infected with COVID-19,” the minister added.
The minister also announced 146 new cases leading the total number of COVID-19 cases in Brunei Darussalam to 2,858.
The number of active clusters in Brunei now stands at 48 clusters inclusive of two newly discovered clusters namely the 2632 Cluster which includes 29 new cases and the 2417 Cluster which has been connected to 18 new cases.
There are also 43 additional new cases connected to 7 of the existing active clusters. Additionally, there are 58 cases with undetermined sources of infection.
Meanwhile, 87 cases were reported to have recovered today, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 1,053 cases.
This new number of recoveries include 13 positive cases in Category 1 who have been in isolation for 14 days in their respective homes. All of them underwent a repeat swab test on day 12 and were confirmed to have recovered.
This means there are 1,791 active cases in Brunei, 6 of which are in critical condition; 5 cases requiring the aid of ventilators and 1 case requiring the aid of a heart/lung machine.
Meanwhile, 24 cases under Category 4 have been admitted at the Intensive Care Unit for close monitoring.
In the past 24 hours, a total of 3,059 samples have been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus which brings the total number of laboratory tests conducted since January 2020 to 235,286 tests.
Clarification on the postponement of first dose vaccines
During the press conference, the Health Minister went on to advise individuals who have reserved a vaccination slot for the first dose, to not cancel their slots or make new reservations as their vaccination slot will be automatically shifted and they will be given priority when the new vaccine supply arrives.
As an example, if Person A has booked a vaccination slot for the first dose before the postponement was announced on 31 August 2021, and his original vaccination appointment is on 1st September 2021. Then Person A’s appointment will be postponed to a date that will be informed later.
“If the vaccine supply arrives safely in Brunei Darussalam on the morning of 15 September 2021, this means that the appointment date for Person A will be changed automatically in the BruHealth app to 16 September 2021,” the ministry explained in a statement.
The minister then advised the public to check the status of their vaccination bookings via the BruHealth app from time to time to confirm the date of the new appointment. This also applies to individuals who have received a slot booking for a second dose as the date may have been brought forward from the original schedule.
The minister explained that with the postponement of first dose vaccines, the ministry will be attempting to fast track second dose vaccine appointments, as they commit towards reaching herd immunity meaning 70 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated by the end of the year.
As an example for second dose recipients, Person B was given an appointment date for the second dose on 4 September 2021. However, Person B’s appointment date has been brought forward to 2 September 2021 in the BruHealth app.
“This means that the date of Person B’s appointment has changed, and Person B will be required to attend the new vaccination appointment on 2 September 2021,” the ministry continued adding that it is currently working to get the supply of vaccines as soon as possible and will inform the public once the vaccine supply has safely arrived in Brunei Darussalam.
Despite the postponement of first dose vaccines, elderly, differently-abled, and pregnant women will still be able to get their first dose any vaccination centres on a walk-in basis, however a few conditions must be met.
For Elderly group – Will only be given to those aged 60 years and above.
For Pregnant Women group – They are required to bring along their updated MCH appointment book. Meanwhile for pregnant women who are registered in private clinics/hospitals such as JPMC, must bring along their appointment book as proof.
For Differently-abled Group – They are required to either bring their: Medical record, Confirmation letter from the Ministry of Education, Proof of registration with Pusat Bahagia or Proof of registration with any NGOs involving differently- abled persons.
For further information and latest updates, please visit the official website of the Ministry of Health at www.moh.gov.bnor through the BruHealth App. Any inquiries on COVID-19 can also be directed to the Health Advice Line 148, Talian Darussalam 123, Brunei Red Crescent (BRC) Helpdesk Line or email to: askhal@moh.gov.bn.

The Bruneian | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN