Malaysia records five local transmission cases - Dr Noor Hisham

After two days of zero local COVID-19 transmissions, Malaysia recorded five such cases today, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said that out of the 13 new cases reported today, the five local transmissions involved three Malaysians and two foreigners, thus taking the cumulative number of COVID-19 positive cases in Malaysia to 8,696.

“Of the three local transmissions involving Malaysians, two patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) have been admitted to the Sarawak General Hospital while one was detected at a workplace screening in Kuala Lumpur.

"As for the two local transmissions among foreigners, they were detected during a screening process at the Bukit Jalil Immigration Detention Depot prior to being sent back to their home countries,” he said at a COVID-19 press conference here today.

He said the other eight were imported cases involving six Malaysians and two permanent residents who were infected abroad.

"There are 64 active cases and they have been isolated for treatment,” he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said 12 patients had recovered and allowed to be discharged today, bringing the cumulative number of recovered cases to 8,511 or 97.9 per cent of the total number of cases.

"So far, two patients are being treated at the intensive care unit (ICU), with both requiring ventilator support.

"No fatalities were reported today and the death toll remains at 121 or 1.39 per cent of the total number of cases," he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said that although the number of cases was decreasing, the Ministry of Health (MOH) would continue to monitor and conduct COVID-19 detection tests to trace new cases within the communities and one of them would be through the clinical surveillance system.

"Today, the surveillance system detected two positive cases involving Malaysians. Until today, a total of 20,897 samples had been taken, with 79 positive cases detected (with a positive rate of 0.38 per cent).

"The positive rate is less than one per cent, meaning the infectivity rate in the country is low. Although it is low, the surveillance system can still trace cases because it has very good capacity and capability,” he said.

He said health workers in the public and private sectors would continue to be trained and provided with the latest information to trace as well as to manage COVID-19 suspected cases, for example Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and SARI, in accordance with the latest guidelines.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said that the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centre would cease operations on July 15.

He said the centre was conceived by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as a proactive move by the government to combat the pandemic.

"It began operating officially on April 16 and received its first patient on April 21. Today, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba witnessed the process of the last patient being discharged.

"Until today, the centre has treated 1,362 patients, whereby the majority are non-Malaysians (86 per cent) and only 14 per cent are Malaysians,” he said.

– BERNAMA