[UPDATED] New Covid-19 cases down to 16,840, Selangor claims 6,092

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 tally today slides to 16,840, with Selangor again taking the lion’s share with 6,092 cases.

Kuala Lumpur is in second place with 2,114 cases, followed by Kedah (1,281), Johor (1,104), Negri Sembilan (1,079), Sabah (1,066), Perak (810), Penang (689), Kelantan (656), Melaka (581), Pahang (540) and Sarawak (450).

Terengganu saw 258 infections, Putrajaya (100), Perlis (13) and Labuan (7).

The latest cases, including 17 imported cases, drive up the national total to 1,095,486, with 1,055 under intensive care and 532 needing breathing aid.

As for recoveries, 12,179 people were discharged today for a total of 902,921 recovered since the beginning of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the death toll is up to 8,859 after today’s 134 fatalities, 35 of which were logged in Selangor.

In a statement, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah noted that of the overall 16,840 cases today, only one vaccinated individual is in critical condition under Category 5.

In comparison, 24 others in the same category (which require ventilator support) have yet to receive a single dose of the vaccine.

Overall, Dr Noor Hisham said, 16,556 (98.3%) of the total infections today are in Categories 1 and 2, showing little to no symptoms, while the remaining 284 (1.7%) individuals are in Categories 3, 4 and 5.

He added that the country’s infectivity rate currently stands at 1.15, with Terengganu topping the list with an R-naught of 1.36, followed by Kelantan (1.27), and Sabah (1.22).

“All states recorded an R-naught of higher than 1.0, except Negri Sembilan (0.91), Labuan (0.68) and Perlis (0),” he said.

According to Dr Noor Hisham, the Health Ministry today identified 47 new Covid-19 clusters, taking the total to 2,559 since the start of the pandemic, of which 1,092 remain active.

Of the 47 recorded today, 24 involved workplaces (with a total of 1,197 infections), 17 are community clusters (489 cases), three involved high risk groups (46 cases), two are education clusters (41 cases), and one is linked to religious activities (11 cases). – The Vibes, July 30, 2021