COVID-19: 1,096 new cases, three deaths reported - Health D-G

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia recorded 1,096 new COVID-19 cases today, with Selangor continuing to top with 603 cases (55 per cent) followed by Sabah with 311 cases (28.4 per cent).

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said with the latest figures, the total positive cases now stood at 54,775.

However, the number of recoveries at 1,104 cases today exceeded the new cases, taking the tally to 41,597 recovered cases so far.

In a statement today, he said the number of COVID-19 active cases with infectivity was 12,843 cases.

Of the 1,096 positive cases today, 1,090 cases involved local transmissions while the rest were imported cases.

"The high number of COVID-19 cases in Selangor was due to the increase in cluster cases, especially workplace-related clusters, namely the Teratai cluster with 502 additional cases (83.3 cases).“On the other hand, Sabah recorded a high number of cases following an increase of cases detected among close contacts with 139 cases (44.7 per cent),” said Dr Noor Hisham.

The statement said 72 cases (6.6 per cent) reported today were related to the clusters in Temporary Detention Centres and prisons, comprising the Tembok cluster (42 cases), Bakti cluster (16 cases), Rumah Merah cluster (four cases), Sandakan Prison cluster (four cases), Seberang Perai Prison cluster (two cases), Remand Prison cluster (two cases), while the Kepayan Prison cluster and Matambai cluster reported one case respectively.

Dr Noor Hisham said a total of 106 COVID-19 cases were being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) with 46 cases intubated.

He added that there were three COVID-19-related fatalities today involving two men and a woman in Sabah, which bring the death toll to 335 cases or 0.6 per cent from the total cases.

The deaths comprised a local man, aged 68, who died at Tawau Hospital; a 90-year-old local man who died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and an 80-year-old foreign woman who was treated at the Duchess of Kent Hospital. All of them have a history of chronic illness including stroke.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said three new clusters were detected today, namely, the Pengkalan Barat cluster in Perak; Bakti cluster in Negeri Sembilan and Bayam Indah cluster in Kedah.

He said 16 cases were reported under the Bakti Cluster, Bayam Indah cluster (five cases) and Pengkalan Barat Cluster (one case).

-- BERNAMA