KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 – The Ministry of Health (MOH) has recorded 57 new Covid-19 cases as at 12pm today, marking the fifth day of double-digit increases in a row.
This brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Malaysia to 5,482.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that out of today’s 57 new cases, 18 were imported cases of Malaysians returning home from overseas, whereas 39 were cases in the community.
“So, if we can keep this momentum and work with all parties to reduce more cases, maybe in a week, if we can get single digit. Now we have double digits, if less than 10 cases, that’s our target,” he told a press conference.
The total number of active infectious cases are 2,041, all of whom have been isolated and warded in hospitals.
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) would like to announce that 54 cases have recovered and were allowed to be released today. This resulted in a cumulative total of 3,349 fully recovered Covid-19 cases (61.1 percent of total cases),” Dr Noor Hisham said.
A total of 43 Covid-19 patients are being treated in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Out of the number, 27 are under ventilator support.
As at today, three more deaths have been reported, bringing total deaths to 92.
“The 90th death (case 2,050) was a 72-year-old Malaysian citizen with a history of diabetes and hypertension. She was the mother of Patient 2,053 (who also had symptoms the same day).
“The 91st death (case 4,090) was a 69-year-old Malaysian citizen with a background in diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease,” Dr Noor Hisham added.
“The 92nd death (case 5,332) was a 92-year-old Malaysian citizen with a history of diabetes, hypertension and dementia. He had a close contact history with Patient 4,711.”
The DG also provided an update on the outbreak of the disease among Malaysians who have returned to the country since April 3.
“Over the two-week period since April 3, 2020, a total of 12,160 Malaysians returning from overseas have been quarantined. Of these, 7,910 individuals have been sampled so far, with 95 positive Covid-19 cases detected (1.2 per cent).
“These proactive actions have seen an increase in the number of cases reported in the states where they have been quarantined. For example, there were 37 cases in Malacca, 32 cases in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, three cases in Sarawak, three cases in Johor, and two cases in Selangor. These positive cases have been isolated and hospitalised.”
MOH added that the remaining 18 cases of the 95 were from before April 3.
Since February, MOH have been screening patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) or severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) at hospitals and MOH clinics in order to identify Covid-19 transmission among local communities in Malaysia.
To date, 56 positive Covid-19 cases have been identified out of 2,669 samples taken (2.1 per cent of total SARI sample cases.
As for ILI cases, Dr Noor Hisham said sampling began on February 23 at eight selected government health clinics. A total of eight Covid-19 positive cases were identified from 1,280 samples taken (representing 0.6 percent of the total ILI case sample).
“This surplus activity acts as the early detection system and early warning system of the Covid-19 incidence in Malaysia,” said the DG.
The ministry has also used targeted approach activities to control the spread of the infection. Among the activities carried out are detection among high-risk groups, like tahfiz schools and foreign workers; and the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) where population census and active case detection are conducted from house to house.
