COVID: 98 per cent of new cases in categories 1 and 2

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 19,606 cases or 98.1 per cent of the 19,991 new COVID-19 cases reported today were of categories 1 and 2 involving asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients respectively.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement today said 385 cases or 1.9 per cent of the total number of new daily cases of COVID-19 were patients from categories 3, 4 and 5.

He said only 4,632 cases (23.2 per cent) of the total daily cases reported had a history of COVID-19 immunisation.

He said no import cases were reported today, adding that the total tally for recovered cases stood at 16,258 cases.

According to Dr Noor Hisham, 201 fatalities were reported of which 34 victims died at home.

He said nationwide COVID-19 active cases logged at 230,762 cases with 1,096 patients receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of which 570 patients needing respiratory assistance.

He added the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) had identified a total of 47 cases of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, all of which were Variants of Concern (VOCs).

This brings the cumulative number of cases infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus categorised as VOCs and Variants of Interest (VOIs) to 667 cases of which 647 cases were VOCs while 20 cases were VOIs, he said.

On new clusters, he said 29 new clusters were identified today with the highest number linked to workplaces (17) followed by community clusters (eight), high-risk groups (three) and one cluster linked to religious activities.

-- BERNAMA