COVID: 0.81 per cent of new cases in categories three to five

A total of 186 cases or 0.81 per cent of the 23,100 new COVID-19 cases recorded in Malaysia yesterday are in categories three, four and five.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the remaining 22,914 cases (99.19 per cent) are in categories one and two, which are mild and asymptomatic infections.

This brings the cumulative total of cases in Malaysia to 3,442,736.

"Of the 186 cases under categories three, four and five, 39 are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated and 84 have received two doses of vaccine but not the booster jab," he said in a statement today.

Dr Noor Hisham said that yesterday, 1,555 cases were admitted to hospitals, with 592 cases (38.1 per cent) in categories three, four and five and the remaining 963 cases (61.9 per cent) in categories one and two.

He said 30,624 recoveries were reported yesterday, bringing the cumulative figure for recovered cases to 3,116,564.

On the intensive care unit (ICU) bed use, Dr Noor Hisham said eight states recorded bed utilisation of at least 50 per cent, namely Perlis (55 per cent), Perak (58 per cent), Kuala Lumpur (65 per cent), Putrajaya (67 per cent), Melaka (61 per cent), Johor (63 per cent), Kelantan (70 per cent) and Sabah (53 per cent).

Dr Noor Hisham said overall, each state was prepared with its quick response plan in the event of an increase in cases requiring admission to the COVID-19 Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRC), hospital and ICU.

On the difference in daily data of hospital admissions of COVID-19 cases compared to newly diagnosed COVID-19 categories one to five cases daily, he said this was due to the fact that a patient's clinical condition is dynamic and may deteriorate or improve during the period of infection.

"For example, when diagnosed, the patient may be in category 2A and isolated at home through a digital Home Surveillance Order (HSO), but the patient's health status may decline to category 3 or more and require hospitalisation.

"At the same time, there are also high-risk COVID-19 cases from categories one and two that require admission to PKRC and hospital as a precautionary measure," he added.

-- BERNAMA