KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 ― The number of Covid-19 patients being treated in intensive care units nationwide continues to climb, hitting a new record at 1,066 today, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

Fatalities also remained high, at 195, bringing the cumulative death toll to 9,598.

"A total of 537 patients were in need of ventilators and 12,297 have recovered,” he said in a statement today.

Of the 195 deaths, Dr Noor Hisham said 88 cases were in Selangor, 24 in Johor, 15 in Penang, 13 in Kedah, 12 in Sabah, eight cases each in Negri Sembilan, Melaka, and Pahang, seven in Terengganu, four in Perak, three in Kelantan, two in Sarawak, and one each in Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Perlis.

Yesterday, Malaysia set a new record high for both the daily Covid-19 fatality rate and patients being treated in ICU at 219 and 1,063, respectively.

Prior to this, the numbers exceeded the 200 mark for Covid-19 daily death rate at 207 on July 26 and 27, while the record for highest cases receiving treatment in ICU was 1,062 three days ago.

New cases recorded today still remained in the high five-figure range at 17,105.