KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia today recorded 1,870 new cases of Covid-19 and six deaths, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham said.
The new infection brings the number of cumulative cases to 110,485, while the death toll stands at 463.
The Health Ministry recorded 745 recoveries, bringing the total number of those discharged to 87,460.
Of the 22,562 current active cases, 131 are under intensive care while 62 require intubation.
Only two cases from today’s 1,870 infections are imported, he said.
For the first time, Johor recorded the highest number of infections among all states for the day, with 607 cases, of which 578 were detected from existing clusters and close-contact screenings.
Dr Noor Hisham said the cases in Johor were influenced by the Tembok Choh prison cluster that has recorded some 374 cases. Johor was followed by Selangor with 472 cases and Sabah with 280.
Kuala Lumpur recorded 219 cases today, followed by Pulau Pinang (69), Kelantan (56), Perak (48), Pahang (48) and Kedah (23).
Areas that registered single-digit cases are Melaka (8), Labuan (3), Terengganu (2), Sarawak (1) and Putrajaya (1).
Perlis is the only state without any new cases reported.
Meanwhile, some 402 cases, or 21.5% of the nationwide tally, are related to clusters in lockups, immigration detention centres and prisons. These involve the Tembok Choh (374 cases), Jalan Harapan Prison (8), Pagar Bentong (6), Tembok Mempaga (4), Tembok (4), Pagar Siput (3), Tembok Gajah (2), and Hala Mutiara (1) clusters.
Four of the six deaths today were recorded in Sabah, involving three men and a woman aged between 45 and 63. The other two were in Johor (55-year-old man) and Selangor (69-year-old man).
Dr Noor Hisham also said there are eight new clusters today, bringing the total number of clusters to 506.
He said 283 of the total clusters have ended, including five today, adding that 53 clusters have reported additional cases today, including the Tembok Choh (374 cases), Tampoi Jaya (138 cases), and Beringin (61 cases) clusters. – The Vibes, December 30, 2020
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