A total of 24 new cases were recorded today, comprising 18 local transmissions and six imported infections, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

He said the highest number, involving 13 cases, was from the Sungai Cluster in Kedah while two cases were from the Benteng Cluster in Sabah.

"Of the 18 local transmissions, 16 involved Malaysians and two are non-citizens," he said.

Kedah recorded 16 new cases with 13 coming from the Sungai Cluster; one from the Tawar Cluster; one from the Telaga Cluster; and one was identified through symptomatic screening at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, while two cases in Sabah were from the Benteng Cluster.

The six imported cases that had been infected abroad, involved three Malaysians and three non-citizens.

He said the six imported cases, involved two Bangladeshi nationals (one in Negeri Sembilan, one in Kuala Lumpur); a Chinese and an Indonesian national in Sabah; a Singaporean in Sarawak and a South Korean in Selangor.

“The imported cases involving non-citizens have entered Malaysia before the entry ban came into effect on Sept 7.

"The two Bangladeshis arrived in Malaysia on Sept 6 and were screened on the same day while the case from China arrived in Malaysia on Sept 5 and was screened on Sept 6," he said.

He said the results of the screening on these individuals as well as several imported cases reported yesterday, returned positive today.

Dr Noor Hisham said seven cases are being treated at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), with four requiring respiratory support, adding that as no fatalities were reported today, the death toll remains at 128.

Dr Noor Hisham in his statement said there had been an increase in cases for the four clusters namely Sungai, Telaga, Tawar and Benteng Lahad Datu (LD), today.

The Sungai Cluster in Kedah recorded 13 new cases while another was detected in Perlis.

He said the Telaga Cluster and Tawar Cluster in Kedah, each recorded one new case while two new cases detected in Tawau came from the Benteng LD Cluster.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham informed that investigations found that the positive cases involving MOH health workers were mostly contracted from among the staff themselves.

He said 53 per cent of infections among health workers was due to infections from among their colleagues, infections from the community (22 per cent), while infections while managing patients whose COVID-19 test has not been confirmed was 17 per cent.

"So far, no MOH health personnel has caught the virus while taking care of patients at the COVID-19 ward or at the ICU," he said.

--- BERNAMA