COVID-19: 14 new cases, 13 local transmissions, one imported - Health DG

Another 14 COVID-19 positive cases, 13 of them being local transmissions, were reported in the country today, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

He said this brings the cumulative total of positive COVID-19 cases in Malaysia to 8,999, with 210 being active cases.

All 13 local transmissions today involved Malaysians, namely 11 from the Sivagangga cluster and two screening cases at the Labuan International Ferry Terminal.

“The first of the two (Sabah) cases involves a student who arrived from Sandakan for studies in Labuan while the second is from Penampang who was in Labuan for a holiday with family members,” he said in a statement.

The sole import case, meanwhile, involved a Filipino who got infected abroad, he added.

Dr Noor Hisham said 17 patients had recovered and allowed to be discharged today, bringing the cumulative number of recovered cases to 8,664 cases or 96.3 per cent of the total number of cases.

There are only two COVID-19 positive cases being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU), one of whom need ventilator support, he said.

Also, no new fatalities were reported, and the death toll remains at 125 cases, or 1.39 percent of the total number of cases, he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said up to noon today, some 313 people from the Sivagangga cluster have been screened.

“Of those, 20 tested positive, 280 negative while 13 more cases are awaiting results. Of the positive cases, 15 are Malaysians. There are no ICU cases or deaths reported from this cluster,” he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said 11 positive cases were reported to the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC), with eight of them being close contacts to the case 8975, including a seven-year-old pupil. Case 8975 is a first-generation case.

Besides this, three more cases were close contacts of case 8976, another first-generation case, he said.

“All these cases are being treated at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar.

“Active Case Detection is being carried out by the district health office to contain the spread of COVID-19, along with cleaning and disinfection activities at all premises, including the school involved and homes with positive cases,” he added.

-- BERNAMA