KOTA KINABALU: Sabah recorded 49 new Covid-19 cases in the Benteng cluster in Tawau and Lahad Datu as well as a new cluster in Kunak, said the Ministry of Health.

The Benteng cluster had 43 new cases in Tawau and one in Lahad Datu as well as 1,830 and 714 pending test results respectively while the new group of infections in Kunak called the "Laut cluster" had five new cases.

The index patient in the new cluster was a Filipino illegal immigrant who had been deported to Zamboanga on August 27 but sneaked back into Sabah on Sept 5 using a rat trail to visit his wife, who was found positive on Sept 8 during a referral screening from Kunak Hospital to Tawau Hospital for further treatment of postnatal bleeding complications.

The index patient's child and neighbour were also among those who tested positive for the coronavirus.