KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — The Health Ministry recorded 8,574 new Covid-19 cases today, dipping below the 9,000-case mark for the first time after three days, with the number of patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU) reaching a record high of 964 today.
Its director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the cumulative number of cases in the country since the start of the pandemic has reached 844,870.
The state accounting for the most Covid-19 cases is still Selangor, with 4,308 cases recorded there — followed by Kuala Lumpur (609 cases) and Kedah (415 cases).
“Based on the available data as of yesterday, the R-naught (R0) in Malaysia stands at 1.15. The state or territory with the highest R0 is Putrajaya Federal Territory at 1.31, followed by Selangor at 1.18, and KL Federal Territory at 1.17,” he said in a statement.
The state or territory with the lowest R0 above 1.0 is Johor and Negri Sembilan at 1.02, followed by Penang at 1.05, and Perak at 1.07.
“Of today’s new cases, 40 are import cases in which the infection occurred abroad, involving 36 Malaysians and four foreign citizens. The remaining 8,534 domestic cases involve 7,087 Malaysians or 83 per cent, followed by 1,447 foreign citizens or 17 per cent,” Dr Noor Hisham said.
The ministry also recorded 8,574 recoveries from Covid-19 today, bringing the total number of recoveries in Malaysia to 844,870 cases.
“Currently there are 91,272 active cases in the country. Of the 964 in ICUs today, 452 require breathing assistance. Sixteen new clusters were detected today, bringing the total number of Covid-19 clusters in the country to 3,093.
“Of this number, 2,228 have since been deemed to have ended, leaving 865 clusters still active. Today’s clusters are located in 10 states or territories, namely Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak, Sarawak, Selangor, KL Federal Territory, Negri Sembilan, Putrajaya Federal Territory, and Johor,” he said.
The category with the highest amount is community clusters at eight, followed by workplace clusters with four, and high-risk group clusters at three.
“Today also sees 102 deaths on record caused by Covid-19, involving 97 Malaysians and five foreign citizens. This brings the total number of fatalities in the country to 6,260, or 0.74 per cent of all cumulative cases in Malaysia.
“The deceased ranged from 31 to 86 years of age. They resided in Kelantan, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, KL Federal Territory, Melaka, Sabah, Perak, Sarawak, Johor, Penang, and Kedah,” Dr Noor Hisham said.
With the exception of 19 individuals whose health details were not disclosed, the remaining 83 deceased had medical histories that included ailments such as high-blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, obesity, kidney disease, dyslipidemia, asthma, chronic liver disease, hormonal issues, thyroid disease, cancer, and chronic lung disease.
