2,551 new Covid-19 infections in Malaysia; 960 in Sarawak alone

KUALA LUMPUR — Fresh Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Malaysia with 2,551 new infections reported over the last 24 hours on Friday (April 16), the second successive day numbers have breached the 2,000 mark.

The country’s health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement said that Sarawak led the count with 960 new cases, followed by Selangor with 590 infections, and Kuala Lumpur with 245 new cases.

Kelantan reported 164 new cases, Sabah with 143, Johor with 121, Penang with 91 cases, Negri Sembilan with 53 new infections, Perak with 49, Pahang with 47, Kedah with 35, Melaka with 28, Terengganu with 16, Putrajaya with six, Perlis with two and Labuan with one new infection.

From the new infections, 2,522 involved Malaysians and 289 from non-locals.

With today’s figures, the cumulative nationwide case count now stands at 370,528 infections, with 18,600 active cases.

Dr Noor Hisham said currently 227 patients are being treated for Covid-19 in intensive care units nationwide, with 91 of them requiring breathing assistance.

Cases had spiked past the 2,000 mark for the first time in over six weeks on Thursday when 2,148 infections were reported.

On a positive note, 1,524 more patients were cured and discharged, bringing the recovery rate to 94.6 per cent with 350,563 cured patients.

A statement released later by Dr Noor Hisham revealed two more deaths; two male patients aged 61 and 79 who passed away in Hospital Sungai Buloh, with both suffering from co-morbidities like heart disease and hypertension.

This brings the cumulative toll to 1,365 Covid-19 related deaths, with a 0.37 per cent fatality rate.

Dr Noor Hisham also reported seven new clusters on Friday, two in Sarawak, and one each in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Sabah, Negri Sembilan, and Pahang.

This brings the total number of clusters detected so far to 1,507, with 346 of them still active, and 68 clusters still reporting new infections. MALAY MAIL