One-year-old girl youngest COVID-19 fatality in Malaysia - Health DG

KUALA LUMPUR: A one-year-old girl, who is among the four fatalities reported today, is the youngest victim of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said the infant was taken to the Emergency and Trauma Department of the Semporna Hospital in Sabah for treatment on Oct 1.

"Her condition deteriorated and she needed ventilator support. She was tested and found to be COVID-19 positive on Oct 5.

"She was confirmed dead on the same day at 4.25 pm,” he told a press conference held online via the official Ministry of Health (MOH) Facebook page.

This is the first time that Dr Noor Hisham, who is undergoing self-quarantine, has held a virtual press conference from his home to announce the latest development on COVID-19 in the country.

Three of the four COVID-19 fatalities today were recorded in Sabah and one in Penang, taking the cumulative death toll to 141 or 1.04 per cent of the total number of 13,504 cases.

The highest number of daily COVID-19 fatality in the country was on March 29 when seven people died.

Dr Noor Hisham said the other two deaths in Sabah today involved 60-year-old Malaysian men. One was admitted to the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan on Sept 25 (fatality number 138) while the other sought treatment at the Emergency and Trauma Department of the Semporna Hospital on Sept 1 (fatality number 139).

“For fatality number 138, the COVID-19 screening was found to be positive on Sept 26. His case deteriorated and he was confirmed dead at 6.50 am on Oct 4.

“For fatality number 139, he was tested positive on Sept 30 and was pronounced dead at 5.05 am on Oct 4,” he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said the (141st) fatality in Penang involved an 85-year-old man with a history of high blood pressure and mental health illness.

He said the victim was found unconscious yesterday (Oct 5) at 7 am and was taken to the Penang Hospital.

"The patient stopped breathing at the Penang Hospital and was confirmed dead at 7.50 am on the same day, with the COVID-19 test conducted on him returning positive,” he said.

-- BERNAMA