[UPDATED] M’sia sees jump in Covid-19 cases to 8,868, most deaths in a single day

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia saw a steep rise in Covid-19 cases today to 8,868 infections, a marked increase from yesterday’s 7,097. 

The Health Ministry said this takes the nation’s cumulative tally of cases to 808,658.

Of today’s new cases, only 10 are imported.

The country also saw 135 fatalities to the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,903.

Health Director-General Tan Sr Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the deaths today involved 63 in Selangor, 24 in Kuala Lumpur, nine in Johor, and eight each in Negri Sembilan and Melaka.

Sarawak and Kelantan recorded four fatalities each, while Sabah, Pahang and Perak saw three deaths each.

Penang and Putrajaya saw two deaths each, while Terengganu and Labuan logged one death each.

He said the country has so far seen a total of 2,999 clusters, including 29 new clusters.

Clusters that have ended are at 2,144, while 855 remained active.

With the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) imposed in 34 Selangor sub-districts and 14 localities in Kuala Lumpur from July 3, Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry had conducted targeted screenings on 10 percent of the residents of the affected areas.

“Therefore, the daily Covid-19 cases are expected to see an increase following the implementation of public health measures.”

Dr Noor Hisham said 19 of the new clusters today are workplace clusters, 8 came from the community, and 1 came from a high-risk group, while another came from a learning institution.

The highest number of cases seen in a single cluster was at the Jalan Sri Permaisuri construction site cluster in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur with 132 cases, he said.

A total of 5,802 recoveries were logged, with 952 patients in ICU and 445 requiring breathing support.

Selangor remains the state with the highest number of cases at 4,152, followed by Kuala Lumpur (1,133), Negri Sembilan (897), Perak (543), Kedah (360) and Johor (336).

The states that saw fewer than 300 cases are Sarawak with 281 cases, followed by Sabah (279), Penang (237), Melaka (183), Pahang (152), Kelantan (135), Terengganu (68), Labuan (64), Putrajaya (47) and Perlis (1).

The health director-general also said that Selangor dan Kuala Lumpur contributed 42.02% and 13.01% of the 47,811 cases recorded in the first week of July. – The Vibes, July 8, 2021