KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — Malaysia today has recorded 18 new Covid-19 positive cases.

This brings the total accumulative positive cases to 8,755.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the 18 cases involved 10 import cases while the remaining eight cases are local transmissions.

He said there were no deaths reported today, which makes the cumulative number of deaths remain at 122.

"Out of the 10 imported cases, seven are Malaysians while three are non-Malaysian citizens who were allowed to enter the country for work-related matters.

"As for the eight locally transmitted cases, six are Malaysians while two are non-Malaysian citizens,” he said in a statement today.

Among the six Malaysians who contracted the virus, four cases are based in Sarawak where one is currently admitted at the Sarawak General Hospital and is classified as Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), one is from the Kuching Medical Centre cluster, and two are from at-work screening who were asymptomatic and have been admitted to the Sarawak General Hospital.

"Two more from the six cases are based in Terengganu where they are recorded under the Pitakwa persons under investigation (PUI) cluster,” he said.

As for the two remaining locally transmitted cases, the two non-Malaysian citizens were detected among the Shirala PUI cluster and in Selangor through screening prior to the non-Malaysian citizen leaving the country.

"The non-Malaysian citizens in Selangor were asymptomatic and have been admitted to Sungai Buloh Hospital,” said Dr Noor Hisham.

To date, three Covid-19 cases are being treated in the intensive care unit while none are in need of ventilators.