Kelantan tops infection list for 1st time
KUALA LUMPUR: For the first time since the pandemic began, Kelantan has topped the list of states with the highest number of new Covid-19 cases.
The east coast state up to noon yesterday recorded 662 new cases, a marked jump from the 370 it registered on Wednesday.
From the 662 in total, 567 cases were from clusters and close contact screenings being actively carried out on the ground.
With the rising number of infections, the Kelantan Education Department had directed schools and educational institutions in seven districts placed under the Movement Control Order (MCO), namely Kota Baru, Pasir Mas, Pasir Puteh, Bachok, Machang, Tumpat and Tanah Merah, to be closed from April 18 to 24.
Malaysia, meanwhile, surged closer to the 3,000 new daily cases mark. The country logged 2,875 new cases up to noon yesterday, pushing the total infections in the country to 384,688.
Selangor had the second most new infections, with 633 cases, followed by Sarawak (474) and Kuala Lumpur with 332.
They rest were Johor with 169 new cases, followed by Sabah (160), Penang (144), Kedah (91), Negri Sembilan (55), Perak (49), Melaka (42), Pahang (29), Terengganu (22), Putrajaya (10) and Labuan (three).
Only Perlis recorded no new cases up to noon yesterday.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement said of the 2,875 new cases, 2,846 were local transmissions involving 2,644 Malaysians and 202 non-citizens.
Of the 29 imported cases, one was a Malaysian. This brought the number of active cases in the country to 22,014.
Dr Noor Hisham said Malaysia also recorded seven more fatalities, increasing the death toll to 1,407.
The fatalities were recorded in Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan and Selangor, with victims comprising six Malaysians and one foreigner, aged between 44 and 80.
He said a total of 2,541 patients had recovered, bringing the cumulative number of recoveries to 361,267.
A total of 248 Covid-19 patients are being treated in intensive care units, with 115 of them placed on ventilators.