Covid-19: Cases up slightly to 1,745, seven more deaths

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 3 — Malaysia’ new Covid-19 cases rose slightly today, a day before the movement control order will be lifted for all remaining states, but remained below the 2,000-mark with 1,745 new infections reported.

This brings the cumulative number of Covid-19 infections detected locally to 305,880 cases.

For the third day straight, Selangor (640 cases), Johor (376), and Sarawak (139) were the top three states according to the number of new infections detected.

They are trailed by Perak (136), Sabah (95), Kuala Lumpur (92), Penang (90), Kedah (40), Melaka and Pahang both with 36 new Covid-19 cases, following by Kelantan (33), Negri Sembilan (24), Terengganu with five new cases and Putrajaya recording just three.

A tweet by the Ministry of Health (MOH) included that seven more deaths were recorded over the last day, bringing the country’s Covid-19 death toll to 1,148 Covid-19 to date.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah later released a statement revealing these deaths involved patients from Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Sabah, and Sarawak.

The deaths involved six Malaysians and one foreigner, all aged between 50 and 86.

Currently, Dr Noor Hisham said some 195 patients are being treated in intensive care units, with 95 patients requiring breathing assistance.

Dr Noor Hisham also reported 2,276 more recoveries over the last day bringing the discharge rate to 91.8 per cent with 280,707 patients recovered so far.

He added that 24,025 Covid-19 patients are currently still being treated by the healthcare system.

Numbers of new Covid-19 infections have so far hovered below the 2,000-case mark in the three days of March, with restrictions set to ease across the country beginning Friday.

Dr Noor Hisham also reported 11 new Covid-19 clusters, nine coming from the workplaces detected in Selangor, Johor, Kelantan, Kedah, Pahang, and Negri Sembilan.

In Selangor, the Jalan Perubatan cluster was detected among workers in a restaurant in Pandan Indah, Hulu Langat; the Jalan Utarid cluster among workers from a factory along Jalan Utarid U5/15 Shah Alam; the Balakong Satu cluster among workers of a factory in Kampung Baru Balakong, Hulu Langat; and the Jalan MP construction site cluster in Subang.

The other workplace clusters were detected in Johor with the Jalan DPB Lima cluster among factory workers in Gelang Patah, Johor Bahru; the Jalan Bachok cluster involving staff of a public administration office in Bachok, Kelantan; the Jalan PKNK 1/6 cluster involving factory workers in Kuala Muda, Kedah; the Sri Jelutung cluster also among factory workers in Pekan, Pahang; and the Jalan Sikimat Lama cluster in an educational institution in Seremban.

Also detected were two clusters from the community; the Kampung Gedang cluster detected among attendees of a funeral held on Feb 14 in Alor Gajah, Melaka; and the Jalan Anak Gasing cluster involving an elderly care centre in Petaling Jaya.

To date, some 1,163 clusters have been detected since the beginning of the pandemic, including those reported today, with 676 clusters declared ended and 487 still considered active.