KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) today reported a new Covid-19 cluster in an aged care home in Kluang, Johor, with 14 cases.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the first case in that cluster was a 72-year-old Malaysian man (Patient 8,770), a resident in the home, who first suffered from fever and cough on July 10. He was sent to the hospital seven days later on July 17 and died upon arrival in the emergency ward; his death was reported yesterday.
The man, who had a history of high blood pressure and stroke, tested positive for Covid-19.
As of noon today, 39 people have been screened from that home, including 14 who tested positive for the coronavirus, comprising 13 Malaysians and one Indonesian. Eighteen tested negative, while seven are awaiting test results.
The positive cases in the aged home cluster comprise 11 elderly residents, one worker, and one family member. The remaining case was the resident who had died.
“The source of infection of the cluster is still under investigation,” Dr Noor Hisham said.
MOH also reported today 21 new cases, leading to a total of 8,800 Covid-19 cases in the country. A total of 122 are active infectious cases.
Of the 21 new cases, six are imported, while the 15 local transmissions comprise 13 Malaysians and two foreigners. The 13 infected Malaysians include 12 from the Kluang aged care home and a pre-surgery case at a medical centre in Negri Sembilan.
The two newly infected foreigners comprise one from the Kluang aged care home and another from a pre-surgery screening.
As of today, three Covid-19 patients are in intensive care, including one on ventilator support. No new death from coronavirus was reported today, with the death toll remaining at 123 (1.4 per cent from overall cases).
