COVID: 3,519 new cases recorded today - Health D-G

KUALA LUMPUR: The daily COVID-19 infections in the country continued to rise for two consecutive days with 3,519 cases reported today compared to 3,140 cases yesterday.

On Monday, a total of 2,589 new cases were reported.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement on the COVID-19 situation today said of the total new cases, only 65 cases or 1.8 per cent were in categories three, four and five while 3,454 cases or 98.2 per cent were in categories one and two.

Categories one and two refer to asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 patients, while categories three, four and five are patients who either have pneumonia, require oxygen assistance or respiratory aid.

Dr Noor Hisham said 5,118 recoveries were recorded bringing the cumulative recovered cases to 2,647,587, while 331 cases were treated in intensive care units (ICU) with 187 patients requiring respiratory assistance.

Two new clusters were detected today, he said, bringing the total number of active clusters to 234, adding that the Rt (infectivity rate) in the country as of yesterday stood at 0.90.

On the COVID-19 infections at flood relief centres, Dr Noor Hisham said as of 3 pm today, 361 cases were detected among flood victims but no positive cases were reported at the relief centres.

"On Dec 22, a total of 963 or 27.2 per cent of the 3,438 flood victims were examined and given outpatient treatment by medical teams at the relief centres," he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said the floods could also spread other diseases such as food poisoning, namely acute gastroenteritis (AGE), typhoid, and cholera; hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD); leptospirosis; acute respiratory tract infections (ARI); skin diseases and dengue.

According to him, so far, a total of 203 cases of ARI, 50 cases of skin diseases, 13 cases of AGE, one case of HFMD and 43 cases of other infectious diseases, were recorded today.

He also advised flood victims to inform rescuers if they were COVID-19 positive or identified as close contacts so that necessary measures could be taken during the evacuation process.

Dr Noor Hisham also advised flood victims to comply with the prescribed standard operating procedures (SOP) to contain the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak and medical personnel at all health facilities to take precautionary measures against flood-related diseases.

"The MOH will always monitor and carry out control and prevention activities so that infectious diseases due to floods, especially COVID-19, can be curbed," he said.

-- BERNAMA