There have been 12 consecutive days of Covid-19 fatalities in Sabah, totaling 47. 40% of Covid cases in Sabah have severe symptoms, compared to 12% in the rest of Malaysia. Could it be a super-spreader strain or the effects of malnutrition and poverty or a function of late presentation of illness to doctors? What do we need to understand about Sabah to better manage the pandemic there? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Dr Nirmala Bhoo Pathy, Public Health Medicine Specialist and Associate Professor of Epidemiology , Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya.