KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — Malaysia recorded 12,541 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24-hour period.

The country has seen case numbers in the five figures for four consecutive days, including yesterday’s record high of 13,215 new infections in one day.

In terms of individual states, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that Selangor remained at the top of the list of infections at 5,512, followed by Negri Sembilan at 1,619 and Kuala Lumpur at 1,542. 

Johor was the next highest with 609 cases, followed by Melaka (575), Kedah (458), Sarawak (423), Pahang (382), Penang (376), Sabah (326), Perak (299), Kelantan (225), Terengganu (102), Putrajaya (62), Labuan (24), and Perlis (seven).

Dr Noor Hisham said the national infectivity rate (Rt) currently stands at 1.20, based on yesterday’s caseload.

Putrajaya has the highest Rt value at 1.32.

Other states and Federal Territories that recorded Rt above 1.0 are: Terengganu (1.27), Kedah (1.23), Selangor (1.20), Penang (1.20), Negri Sembilan (1.17), Kuala Lumpur (1.15), Melaka (1.14), Pahang (1.12), Johor, Perak and Kelantan (1.10 each), and Sabah (1.09).

Dr Noor Hisham said there were 37 new Covid-19 clusters, including 19 from workplaces, eight from within the general community, four from detention centres, three each from high risk groups and education centers.

He added that the clusters with the highest increase in new cases today are the Bakti 2 cluster (402 cases), Jalan Bangsar cluster (131 cases) and Kolam Air 2 cluster (94 cases).

Dr Noor Hisham also said that the virus has cost 115 more lives totaling 6,728 cumulative deaths since the pandemic arrived in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, 896 patients are being treated in Intensive Care Units (ICU) including 459 needing ventilators.

"A total of 115 death cases today involving 53 cases in Selangor, 24 cases in Kuala Lumpur, seven cases each in Johor and Melaka, five cases in Penang, four cases each in Negri Sembilan and Kedah, three cases each in Sabah and Perak, two cases each in Kelantan and Terengganu, as well as one case Labuan,” Dr Noor Hisham said in a statement.