KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — The elderly and those with preexisting conditions are definitely more susceptible to Covid-19 but that does not mean a healthy person cannot be infected or succumb to the virus, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.

The Health director-general said the 47-year-old Malaysian who succumbed to the virus yesterday did not have any preexisting conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart issues or other chronic illnesses.

“Yes, he had no history of diabetes and such, but he was referred to the Health Ministry from a private hospital at Category 4. By the time he came to us, he was in a critical state,” said Dr Noor Hisham today during his daily Covid-19 briefing.

“He was put in the intensive care unit (ICU) and needed breathing aid but his death was due to his blood clotting, resulting in multiple organ failure.

“This happens because when the virus enters the body, its response is to produce chemicals to counter the virus which then causes thrombosis. Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot, known as a thrombus, within a blood vessel. It prevents blood from flowing normally through the circulatory system.

“This in turn will make the blood flow very slow and because the virus attacks the blood vessels and arteries, when it reaches the brain, it will cause a stroke and if it’s in the heart, it will cause a heart attack.”

Dr Noor Hisham also said the patient was in ICU for 46 days.

Malaysia added another 45 new Covid-19 infections today, an increase of 15 cases from yesterday’s record low since the movement control order (MCO) was implemented.

The total number of deaths is at 107.