KUALA LUMPUR: Sabahans are becoming frustrated with the long wait to get their Covid-19 swab test results.
The anxiety is made more palpable by the fact that the state has been recording the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country.
Sabah registered 643 new cases yesterday. The state has recorded fatalities for 12 consecutive days since Oct 8, with the death toll at 47.
The Covid-19 fatalities in Sabah represent 25 per cent of the country's total deaths, which stood at 190 yesterday.
A Kota Marudu resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the New Straits Times that his family was living in fear as they wait for his swab test results.
"The hospital staff took my samples on Oct 12 and I have not heard from them since.
"I have been under self-quarantine at home since the swab test. But as each day passes, I'm worried that I may pass on the virus to my wife and children if I am Covid-19 positive."
Another resident said her uncle's family in Kota Belud was in a similar predicament.
"My uncle's 80-year-old mother-in-law was taken to a government clinic after she had a fever.
"She had a swab taken and the sample was sent to Kota Belud Hospital.
"My uncle and his family were also instructed to take a swab test.
"Only after a week did the hospital staff confirm that my uncle's mother-in-law and one of his in-laws tested positive.
"An ambulance came to take them to the Kota Belud Resthouse (quarantine centre).
"A few days later, my cousin (uncle's son) was informed that he also tested positive for Covid-19.
"But the ambulance came after three days to take him to the quarantine centre."
On Sunday, Sabah logged 702 new cases, its highest daily tally, which accounted for 80.6 per cent of new cases nationwide.
The authorities had said the sharp spike in Covid-19 cases in Sabah was due to health officials clearing the backlog of Covid-19 swab samples, so the new cases were a combination of new infections and cleared backlogs.
Epidemiologist Professor Datuk Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud said the backlog could hinder efforts to track and contain the spread of Covid-19 in the state.
"The date of positive cases being reported to the public will not be accurate as it reflects the date of the results rather than the date of onset (date of contact) of infection.
"Epidemiologists use the date of onset rather than date of results to determine the Rt (reproduction number of the virus at a given time).
"If the number of backlogged positive tests is substantial, then the Rt might need to be revised once the backlogged results are known."
He said having a substantial number of backlog cases would make contact tracing more difficult.
"It will affect contact tracing, especially for second- and third- generation contacts if the results for the first generation are late.
"Third-generation contacts may have infected others if positive results of the first generation are known late."
On Friday, two health experts contacted by the NST said Sabah's healthcare system could collapse within weeks if Covid-19 cases continued to soar.
On the same day, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah acknowledged that Sabah was in a crisis and the ministry had sent medical reinforcements to the state.