[UPDATED] Malaysia logs another record high with 32,070 fresh infections as of midnight

KUALA LUMPUR – It is another record high of daily Covid-19 caseload as Malaysia logs 32,070 fresh infections as of midnight, bringing the cumulative total to 3,337,227, according to the CovidNow website. 

The country also saw another 46 new deaths – of which 17 are brought-in-dead – and now the country’s death toll is at 32,534.

Johor and Kedah each has eight deaths, followed by Pahang (7), Sabah (7), Selangor (6), Perak (3), Penang (3), Terengganu (2), Kelantan (1) and Negri Sembilan (1).

As for the daily caseload, Selangor (7,458) continues to record the most cases among the states, followed by Sabah (4,892), Johor (2,699), Kedah (2,579), Penang (2,575) and Kuala Lumpur (2,100).

Other states are below the 2,000-mark – Negri Sembilan (1,840), Kelantan (1,746), Pahang (1,647), Perak (1,552), Melaka (888), Terengganu (852), Labuan (444), Sarawak (416) Perlis (262) and Putrajaya (120).

Worryingly, there were also 16 new clusters, of which eight are education institutions, four in high-risk groups, workplace (3) and one community cluster.

The education clusters are spread across the country with two in Penang and one each in Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Perak, Negri Sembilan and Labuan.

Perak’s Pengkalan Ara education cluster recorded the most cases with 57 infection and a 53.3% infectivity rate, followed by the Persiaran Tengku Ampuan cluster in Klang and Kuala Selangor that has 40 cases and an infectivity rate of 32.0%.

Penang’s two education clusters are in Seberang Prai – Taman Seri Janggus and Jalan Tun Hamdan Sheikh Tahir – have 29 and 19 cases respectively.

Meanwhile, Melaka’s Jalan Lembah Kesang cluster has 27 cases, followed by Labuan’s Jalan Pohon BAtu cluster with 21 cases, Negri Sembilan’s Jalan Titi cluster with 20 cases and Johor’s Jalan Tasek Alai cluster with 16 cases.

As for high-risk group clusters, Melaka’s Jalan Tengkera cluster and Perak’s Muhibbah Bidor cluster each have 31 cases, followed by Selangor’s Jalan Hospital Sabak with 30 cases and Johor’s Jalan Maryani cluster with 10 infections.

The Mediacity 3 workplace cluster in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya has 11 cases while the Jalan Thambi Dollah cluster in Lembah Pantai has 16 cases, followed by Industri Jalan Kuala Perlis in Kangar has 15 infections. 

Lastly, the new cluster with the most cases is the Kemar Temenggor community cluster in Hulu Perak with 68 infections and an infectivity rate of 35.6%.

According to a statement by the health director-general, six states are above the 50% ICU bed capacity – Kelantan (86%), Johor (59%), Labuan (57%), Kuala Lumpur (54%), Sabah (52%) and Melaka (50%).

Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said of the 1,764 hospitalised, 645 are in Categories 3, 4 and 5, while 1,119 cases are in Categories 1 and 2.

He also reported another 23,332 recoveries, 327 cases in intensive care and 201 ventilated.

Of the daily caseload, 23, 674 are in Category 2, followed by Category 1 (8,216), Category 3 (95), Category 4 (46) and Category 5 (39).

Of the 180 in the more severe categories, 93 have gotten double doses of the Covid-19 vaccine but not boosters, 89 with comorbidities, 83 who are aged 60 and above, 49 unvaccinated or with incomplete vaccinations, 38 boosted and one pregnant woman. – The Vibes, February 20, 2022