Brunei Darussalam Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report Weekly Report for the Week Ending 17 January 2021

Brunei Darussalam Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report Weekly report for the week ending 17 January 2021

Brunei Darussalam Situation summary  In the past week, one new case was reported in Brunei Darussalam, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases to 174 cases. o Reported on 12 January 2021: Case #174 is a 28-year-old male who had travelled from India via Royal Brunei and arrived at Brunei Darussalam on 30 December 2020. He is asymptomatic.  In the past seven days, a total of two active cases remain while 16 cases have recovered.  No COVID-19-associated deaths were reported in the past week. Upcoming events and priorities  Effective from 15 to 28 January, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will be conducting research to understand COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among the public aged 18 years and older via the BruHealth app.  According to the MOH, following a report from Sarawak Disaster Information of a confirmed positive COVID-19 case who had travelled from Brunei Darussalam to Miri in Sarawak on 13 January (Wednesday), no immediate contact of the case was found after preliminary investigations. As of 15 January, 37 people connected to the case were found within 14 days of departing Brunei Darussalam. All have been instructed to take the SARS-CoV-2 test and undergo self-isolation until the test results are out.  To know more about the upcoming events and priorities: o Visit the Ministry of Health Brunei Darussalam website. o Contact the Health Advice Line 148. o Visit the BruHealth app website for more information. National transmission assessment

National transmission stage assessment: Stage 1 – Imported cases (high confidence) Week 2 (11–17 January 2021) Brunei Darussalam reported only one new COVID-19 case this past week. The imported case was a 28- year-old male who had travelled from India via Royal Brunei and arrived on 30 December 2020. He was asymptomatic upon arrival. All travellers entering the country are placed in government-maintained quarantine and isolation facilities upon arrival. As such, the risk of broader community transmission from the importation of cases is low. As of 17 January 2021, Brunei Darussalam has recorded a total of 174 COVID-19 cases and a total of three deaths. Currently, Brunei Darussalam has two active cases, and all cases are being treated at the National Isolation Centre. Since May, there have been a total of 33 imported confirmed cases in Brunei Darussalam. It has been 256 days since the last reported locally transmitted case.

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1 Brunei Darussalam Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report Weekly report for the week ending 17 January 2021

Epi Update Tests Cases Deaths ICU COVID-19 1 0 Data reported for 1813 0 New cases in the ICU utilization rate epi week ending 17 Tests in the Deaths in the past 7 days in the past 7 days January 2021 past 7 days past 7 days (% difference (+11.7%) (0.0%) (-) (-) compared to the 1 previous 7 days) 87 211 174 3 85 Cumulative tests Cumulative cases Cumulative deaths ICU beds for COVID-19 0.20% 1.72% patients Positivity rate Case fatality rate Imported 1 (100%) 0 0 0 cases and Imported cases Cases in the past 7 Active clusters Active clusters with clusters in the past 7 days days with no link more than three generations

Epidemiology Fig. 1. New daily reported COVID-19 cases, Brunei Darussalam, March 2020 to 17 January 2021

Number ofcases Number 6

8/03/2020 5/04/2020 3/05/2020 7/06/2020 5/07/2020 2/08/2020 9/08/2020 6/09/2020 4/10/2020 1/11/2020 8/11/2020 6/12/2020 3/01/2021

15/03/2020 22/03/2020 29/03/2020 12/04/2020 19/04/2020 26/04/2020 10/05/2020 17/05/2020 24/05/2020 31/05/2020 14/06/2020 21/06/2020 28/06/2020 12/07/2020 19/07/2020 26/07/2020 16/08/2020 23/08/2020 30/08/2020 13/09/2020 20/09/2020 27/09/2020 11/10/2020 18/10/2020 25/10/2020 15/11/2020 22/11/2020 29/11/2020 13/12/2020 20/12/2020 27/12/2020 10/01/2021 17/01/2021

1 As of 30 March 2020: 58 ICU beds in hospitals and 27 in National Isolation Centre. Source: https://sites.google.com/site/weechiankoh/home/Covid-19 2 of 3

2 Brunei Darussalam Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report Weekly report for the week ending 17 January 2021

Strategic approach

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI)

 As of 17 January, 670 individuals who entered the country from abroad are undergoing mandatory quarantine at government-run monitoring centres. Since March 2020, a total of 11 362 individuals have completed mandatory quarantine at these centres.  On 13 January, foreign domestic helpers (e.g. housemaids) can return to Brunei Darussalam to work for their employers provided that the protocols and procedures set by the authorities to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus are met.  Effective 13 January, new transport measures include: o Approval for the transport of goods by runners will be postponed for two weeks. o Approval for foreign national travel entry/transit into Brunei Darussalam from Malaysia will be postponed for two weeks. o Only emergency services (i.e. ambulances, police) and commercial vehicles transporting essential goods will be allowed entry into Brunei Darussalam. o Approval for commuting in and out of Brunei Darussalam will be postponed for two weeks. o Transport operators that are registered to Brunei Darussalam or Malaysia and are allowed entry will be subject to weekly RT-PCR tests (instead of every two weeks).  On 16 January, the MOH debunked an unfounded message regarding an outbreak of COVID-19 in Kuala Belait that has gone viral on social media.

Testing and surveillance  A total of 1813 samples have been tested for SARS-CoV-2 in the past seven days, bringing the total number of laboratory tests conducted since January 2020 to 87 211. This equates to approximately 19% of the population.

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