BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – New COVID-19 infections fell to 187 on Monday, a day after Brunei logged its highest number of daily cases at 381.
The health ministry detected five new clusters, including the staff quarters of landscape architecture firm HTG Services, LDY Engineering and Belait-based Massutera Engineering.
Majority of the new clusters identified over the past week had been in migrant worker dormitories or among households.
There are currently 162 active clusters after the closure of two household clusters and Champion 7-Blue Titanium cluster with 147 cases.
Speaking during his daily press briefing, Health Minister YB Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohammad Isham Hj Jaafar said six sub-districts were classified as red zones after reporting over 80 cases in the last seven days.
Mukim Berakas A, Pekan Tutong and Kuala Belait continued to see a high number of infections, while Mukim Sengkurong, Gadong B and Mentiri also joined the COVID-19 hotspot list.
The health minister said many of the worker dormitories that have been identified as clusters are located in these mukim.
The cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases stands at 9,167, of which 96 percent were reported in the second wave.
10% of elderly population unvaccinated
About 4,000 seniors aged 60 and above have yet to receive at least one vaccine dose, YB Dato Hj Mohd Isham said.
Ten percent of the elderly population is still unvaccinated.
Since Brunei started its inoculation drive in April, 72.8 percent of the population has taken at least one jab while 46.7 percent is fully vaccinated.
To speed up the vaccination rate to 80 percent by year’s end, Brunei citizens and permanent residents can now walk in to the Indoor Stadium vaccination site and get their first dose.
The Labi Health Centre in Belait also began offering COVID-19 vaccines on Monday to residents in the rural areas of Mukim Labi, Mukim Bukit Sawat and surrounding areas.
A total of 231 on-the-spot fines have been handed out to people who broke the 8pm-4am curfew that started on October 4.