[UPDATED] New coronavirus cases soar past 4,000 for first time

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia has hit its highest daily Covid-19 cases so far at 4,029, less than a week into the movement control orders.

The country’s death toll inches closer to 600 with the eight new deaths today. The current tally is at 594.

Today’s daily cases bring the national tally to 155,095.

The Health Ministry said it has detected six new clusters involving Johor, Negri Sembilan, Perak and Pahang.

Selangor remains the state with the highest number of daily cases at 1,466, followed by Johor (719), Sabah (449), Kuala Lumpur (354), Negri Sembilan (214), Kedah (195), and Kelantan (141).

States that recorded fewer than 100 cases are Terengganu (80), Sarawak (70), Pahang (65), Perak (54), Malacca (44), Putrajaya (35), Labuan (17) and Perlis (14).

Six of the victims who passed today were Malaysians while the other two were foreigners. One of the deceased Malaysians, a 62-year-old male, was dead on arrival at the Lahad Datu Hospital in Sabah. 

New clusters

Johor has three new clusters – Senai Cyber, Tembok Nanas and Jalan Sembrong – with 163 cases.

The Senai Cyber cluster in Kulai is a result of targeted screenings at several factories following a worker who tested positive after showing certain symptoms. The cluster currently has 114 cases.

The Tembok Nanas cluster originates from the Pekan Nanas immigration depot. The index case is an undocumented migrant who tested positive on January 10. After 252 individuals were screened, the ministry detected a total of 41 cases.

The Jalan Sembrong cluster is another workplace outbreak, where most of the positive cases were detected at a worker hostel on Jalan Sembrong 3, Sembrong Industrial Park. Of the 52 individuals screened, 18 were found positive.

The Jalan Permata cluster in Seremban is a workplace cluster where the index case tested positive after presenting symptoms. A close contact screening found that most cases were from Jalan Permata 1/3, Arab Malaysian Industrial Park, Nilai. As of today, it has 61 cases.

The Taman Juta cluster in Hilir Perak currently has 14 cases.

Lastly, the Kg Lebu cluster is caused by a wedding and tahlil celebration involving Bentong and Kuantan, Pahang. The index case tested positive on January 5. After screening 80 close contacts, the ministry detected a total of 21 cases.

Meanwhile, of the 155,095 cumulative cases, 37,126 are still active – 205 patients are under intensive care and 79 require ventilator support.

As for recoveries, the Health Ministry reported 2,148 cases today. – The Vibes, January 16, 2021