State local government and housing minister Masidi Manjun gave the warning after receiving a report from the health department on close contact screenings among hostel students at the six schools.

“The initial report by the department indicates the possibility of more clusters involving learning institutions,” he said in his early Covid-19 analysis report today.

He said the outcome of the tests will be known in a day or two.

Sabah registered its sixth school cluster yesterday. A Form 4 student at SMK Balung triggered the Jalan Sri Balung cluster in Tawau which saw 17 other students infected.

Meanwhile, Masidi said three more clusters were identified today, including one at a school in the northern Kota Marudu district, pushing the new daily cases today to 355, 21 more than yesterday.

He said the Jalan Teritipan school cluster in Kota Marudu and the workplace clusters of Jalan Binunuk and Montenior contributed 101 cases in the last 24 hours.

“The index case for the Jalan Teritipan cluster is a Form 4 student at SMK Tandek 2, who tested positive for the virus through an RT-PCR test on Jan 23. Close contact tracing found 37 other students from the same school infected,” he said, adding they were being treated as Category 1 and 2 patients.

Masidi said the Jalan Binunuk cluster in southwest Beaufort district was triggered by a 34-year-old female employee of the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority.

He said that so far 13 other people, including the woman’s colleagues and family members, have also tested positive, adding that the virus is believed to have spread during a meeting that involved a large number of people.

The Montenior cluster was triggered by a 37-year-old woman who is a health worker staying in Kuala Penyu, located in southwest Sabah.

“A total of 43 people have tested positive in the cluster so far. They comprise the woman’s workmates and their family members,” he said.