The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has begun to spread in the community.

According to Director-General of Health, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the pandemic was no longer detected from overseas after the first case involving an individual in Kuantan who was diagnosed with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI).

“For the case in Kuantan, he has no history. He has SARI which means no history. We treated him in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and after undergoing tests, he was positively diagnosed with COVID-19.

“However, when we look at history, he had attended the congregation in Sri Petaling.

“So, right now even the SARI case is positive. So, that means that the COVID-19 virus already existed in our community, not just outside the country,” he said at a press conference here today.

As such, Dr Noor Hisham once again advised the public to remain at home in an effort to break the COVID-19 transmission chain.

He said the priority of the Ministry of Health (MOH) now was to reduce the incidence of COVID-19 infection in the community.