KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — The Health Ministry has announced 45 more Covid-19 deaths in the last 24-hour period, bringing the cumulative death toll to 1,947 since the pandemic arrived in Malaysia.

Its director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah also said in a statement today that the ministry has detected 4,446 new Covid-19 infections.

Selangor tops the list for both highest Covid-19 infections (1,650) and death toll (20) today.

Also recording a high infectivity rate is Sarawak at 433, followed by Johor (391) and Kelantan (343).

Kuala Lumpur was the next highest with 297 cases, ahead of Negri Sembilan (243), Kedah (236), Perak (203), Terengganu (201), Penang (159), Pahang (139), Melaka (80, Sabah (60), and Putrajaya with 11 cases.

Twenty of those who died were based in Selangor. All except four had pre-existing health problems such as diabetes, stroke, hypertension and kidney disease.

Dr Noor Hisham said 522 Covid-19 patients are currently in intensive care including 273 on ventilators.

Recoveries lagged behind new cases again today, with just 2,784 former patients discharged.

Dr Noor Hisham also reported 14 more Covid-19 clusters including half were found spreading within the general community, four were detected in religious centres and three in workplaces.

The number of Covid-19 clusters still considered active is 484.

Currently, Malaysia has the third highest number of infections in South-east Asia behind Indonesia and the Philippines.