PUTRAJAYA:A total of 260 new COVID-19 positive cases were recorded today, making it the second-highest tally in the country since 277 cases were reported on June 4, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

More worrying, though, is that only one of the new cases was imported while the other 259 were local transmissions involving 130 Malaysians and 129 foreigners.

“Of the 259 cases, 31 involved those with a history of travelling to Sabah. This takes the cumulative number of cases involving travels to Sabah to 119 since Sept 20,” he told a press conference on COVID-19 here today.

With the 260 new cases, the cumulative total is now 11,484, with 1,334 active cases, he said.

Meanwhile, there were 47 recoveries reported today, bringing the cumulative total recoveries to 10,014 cases or 87.2 per cent of the total number of cases.

There are currently 20 patients being treated in the intensive care unit, with three needing ventilator support. No fatalities were recorded today, with the death toll remaining at 136.

In detailing the breakdown of the locally transmitted cases today, Dr Noor Hisham said Sabah continued to record the highest number with 118; followed by Kedah (98 cases); Selangor and Kuala Lumpur (13 each); Johor and Putrajaya (five each); Terengganu and Perlis (two each); Melaka, Pahang and Penang (one each).

The one imported case today was in Kuala Lumpur and it involved a foreigner returning from the United Kingdom.

The latest development is clearly worrying because when the country recorded 277 cases on June 4, 270 of the cases involved foreigners from the Bukit Jalil Immigration Detention Depot while only four were local transmissions.

“The third-highest number of cases recorded was on March 26, which was during the first phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO). Then, a total of 235 cases were recorded and they comprised 27 imported cases and 208 local transmissions involving 157 Malaysians and 51 foreigners,” he said.

He said that the implementation of the inter-district travel restriction throughout Sabah from Oct 3 to Oct 16 as well as the Targeted Enhanced Movement Control Order (TEMCO) in four districts would help control the COVID-19 situation in the Land Below the Wind.

“At the same time, the Ministry of Health and other related agencies will make every effort to control the spread of COVID-19 nationwide. The cooperation of all parties is very much needed,” he said.

-- BERNAMA