KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 2,757 new Covid-19 infections were reported today, taking the country’s cumulative cases to 2,743,936.
Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said of the new cases today, only 40 were in categories three, four and five while the rest were in categories one and two.
“There were 2,594 local transmissions and 163 imported cases, besides 297 cases in the intensive care unit, while 169 cases require respiratory support,” he said in a statement today.
There were also 4,620 recoveries reported today, he said, adding that this brings the total number of recoveries to 2,669,654.
Dr Noor Hisham said seven new Covid-19 clusters were identified overnight, taking the number of active clusters to 223, while adding that the country’s Rt (infectivity rate) as of yesterday was 0.90.
Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said 429 Covid-19 cases were detected among flood victims involving 11 cases at temporary evacuation centres as of 3pm today.
He said the first cluster involving transmissions among flood victims, at a temporary evacuation centre in Bentong, was reported today.
The index case for the Karak Setia cluster is a Malaysian woman who tested positive on December 19 through the screening of individuals with symptoms. The case started with symptoms of fever, cough, flu, and the loss of sense of smell since December 18,” he said.
Up to noon today, he said 104 individuals from this cluster have been screened, with 10 having tested positive for Covid-19 – interaction among those housed at the evacuation centre is suspected as being the cause of transmission. All positive cases as well as close contacts have been isolated from the rest of the evacuees.
Dr Noor Hisham said 99 infectious disease cases were also detected among flood victims, involving 51 cases of acute respiratory infection (ARI), 39 cases of skin disease and nine cases of acute gastroenteritis.
Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said Malaysia recorded a 18.6% drop in Covid-19 infections in the 51st epidemiological week (EW) from December 19 to December 25, from 27,698 cases (50th EW) to 22,554 cases (51st EW), with the average for active cases also dropping 13% to 48,218 cases in the 51st EW.
However, he said fatality cases increased by 15.2% with 242 deaths reported in the 51st EW compared to 211 in the 50th EW, reversing the downward trend recorded for fatalities for seven straight weeks between the 43rd EW and 50th EW.
“The average number of cases requiring treatment in the ICU showed a decrease of 12% from 316 cases (50th EW) to 277 cases (51st EW).
“The average number of cases that require respiratory assistance also showed a decrease of 10.6% from 140 cases (50th EW) to 125 cases (51st EW),” he said.
He said as of December 25, there were cumulatively 6,101 clusters reported with 223 active clusters, a decrease of 11.5% compared to the 50th EW. – Bernama, December 27, 2021
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