NATION SURPASSES 10,000 MARK
62 new infections recorded yesterday, bringing nationwide tally to 10,031, says Health D-G
MALAYSIA surpassed the five-figure mark in its overall tally of Covid-19 cases yesterday when it recorded 62 new infections, bringing the nationwide total to 10,031.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said 61 of the new cases were local transmissions and a majority of them came from the Benteng LD cluster in Sabah.
Only one case was imported and involved a person who had returned from India.
“There were 48 new cases reported from the Benteng LD cluster today (yesterday). This brings the total number of positive cases in this cluster to 472. Up to noon yesterday, a total of 7,246 people had been screened from this cluster.
“In Lahad Datu, 1,531 were screened and from this number, 141 people tested positive for the virus, with 48 of them being new cases. Another 1,306 people tested negative while 84 people are awaiting results.
“In Tawau, 5,716 people were screened with 331 testing positive, 2,764 testing negative and 2,621 others awaiting results,” said Dr Noor Hisham in a statement yesterday.
Based on the records from the Benteng LD cluster, he said 1,379 comprised detainees and prisoners, with 429 of them testing positive for the virus.
He said 1,156 people from the Lahad Datu district police headquarters and the Tawau prison had been screened, with 10 testing positive.
He said 1,251 family members of staff and prisoners were also screened, and 10 of them tested positive for Covid-19.
Another 994 governmental agency officers tested negative.
“A total of 2,467 close contacts were screened, with 23 testing positive.”
Out of the 472 positive cases from the same cluster, 214 were foreigners comprising 167 Filipinos and 91 Indonesians.
On a separate note, Dr Noor Hisham said the Pulau cluster recorded one new positive case yesterday, bringing the number of infections to 10, consisting of nine Malaysians and one foreigner.
So far, 171 Malaysians and 22 foreigners have been screened from the Pulau cluster. Another 17 people tested negative, while 166 were awaiting results.
On the Sungai cluster, which is traced to three states, Dr Noor Hisham said there were 59 positive cases.
He said 19,809 people were screened in Kedah with 58 testing positive ,17,814 testing negative and 1,776 awaiting test results.
“In Penang, 136 individuals were screened, with 135 testing negative and one person’s test results pending. Another 25 people were screened in Perlis with one testing positive, 18 testing negative and six others waiting. for results.”
He said 711 health officers were screened in the Sungai cluster, with 20 testing positive for Covid19.
On a related issue, Dr Noor Hisham said the number of Covid-19 patients being treated in the intensive care unit was on the rise.
There are 15 patients in the ICU, with three requiring respiratory assistance. Six of them are aged 60 and above, while nine others are aged between 21 and 56.
Dr Noor Hisham said while the elderly were the most vulnerable to the virus, even younger patients with a history of chronic diseases were found to have suffered serious complications.
He warned that if the situation persisted, the health facilities would be burdened with a spike in Covid-19 cases.
“To prevent the situation from recurring, everyone must play their role in adhering to the standard operating procedures and advice given by the government to contain the spread of Covid-19.”
No new Covid-19 deaths were recorded yesterday. The death toll remained at 128 cases or 1.28 per cent of the overall number of cases.