COVID-19: Malaysia records highest daily figure of 432 new cases today

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia recorded 432 new COVID-19 positive cases in the past 24 hours, the highest daily figure since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented in March, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Of the total, 429 were local transmissions and three were import cases involving two Malaysians and a foreigner, each returning from India, Kuwait and Myanmar. This takes the cumulative total of positive cases to 12,813.

He said of the 429 local transmissions, 409 involved Malaysians and 20 foreigners.

“Out of the 429, 224 of the cases were detected from the Tembok Cluster, which is a prison in Kedah, while 29 were returnees from Sabah, bringing the number of cases with a travel history to the state since Sept 20 to 235,” he said in a statement on COVID-19 today.

Dr Noor Hisham also said that no fatalities were reported today, while the total number of active cases in the country was 2,336, with all of them having been isolated and given treatment.

Dr Noor Hisham said that 32 patients are currently undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit, with eight needing ventilator support.

Detailing the breakdown of the cases today, he said Kedah had the highest number of cases with 241, involving 224 from the Tembok Cluster, Bah Sintok Cluster (11 cases), Jeram Cluster (three) and one case each from the Bah Ketil and Sungai Clusters, as well as one symptomatic screening.

Next is Sabah, with 130 cases. Among the cases are 57 symptomatic screening, 39 from the Bangau-Bangau Cluster, 16 screening of close contacts and six screening of health workers.

“Selangor had 34 cases, including the screening of 17 returnees from a high-risk area (Sabah), nine cases from the Jalan Meru Cluster and three from the Seri Anggerik Cluster,” he said.

Terengganu had five cases, of which three were from the new Bah Tanjung Cluster and two from the screening of close contacts.

Kuala Lumpur recorded five cases; Labuan (four cases); Johor, Perak and Putrajaya (two each); while Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Kelantan had one case each from the screening of returnees from Sabah.

There were 57 recoveries, taking the cumulative total of recoveries to 10,340 cases, he said.

-- BERNAMA