KUALA LUMPUR: The number of COVID-19 daily recoveries in Malaysia exceeded daily new cases for the eighth day in a row after 16,751 recovered cases were reported today.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the latest figure takes cumulative recoveries to 1,950,467.

As for new infections, he said 14,554 cases were recorded today, of which 163 cases or 1.1 per cent were category three, four and five cases while 14,391 cases or 98.9 per cent were in categories one and two.

He said 1,049 patients were being treated in the intensive care unit, covering suspected, probable and cases under investigation.

"A total of 599 cases also need ventilator support," he said in a statement here today.

He said nine of the total new cases were import cases involving five Malaysians and four foreigners while 14,545 cases involved local transmission, involving 13,262 citizens and 1,283 foreigners.

Khairy said a total of 20 clusters were also detected, involving 10 clusters in the workplace, nine in the community and one high-risk group cluster.

On the COVID-19 infectivity rate or R-naught (Rt), Khairy said Malaysia recorded an Rt of 0.90 yesterday, with 13 states recording an Rt below 1.0, except for Pahang, Perak and Perlis.

Pahang and Perak, at 1.05, were the states with the highest Rt, followed by Perlis which recorded an Rt of 1.01.

-- BERNAMA