CORONAVIRUS | The first Malaysian Covid-19 patient was allowed to return home today having fully recovered from the infection, Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said.

He said this brings the number of recovered cases to nine.

He said the 41-year-old individual received treatment at the Sungai Buloh Hospital in Selangor and had undergone repeated Covid-19 tests which were found negative on two consecutive tests before being discharged.

"The total cumulative confirmed Covid-19 cases in Malaysia remains at 22, with 13 still receiving treatment in hospitals,” he said in a statement here today.

Of the 22 confirmed cases, 12 are from Patient-Under-Investigation (PUI), eight are from close contacts and two are Malaysians evacuated from Wuhan.

In the statement Dr Dzulkefly said he had a teleconference with Cambodia's Minister of Health Mam Bunheng this evening to further strengthen collaboration between the two countries in an effort to combat Covid-19 infection.

He said during the conversation, Mam Bunheng was informed that the patient from the United States had shown signs of improvement.

“I also relayed that the patient underwent repeated Covid-19 tests which were still found positive.

"The Ministry of Health will continue to work closely with WHO and all the countries involved in the management of Covid-19 infection as well as in coordination of information in implementing close contact tracing,” he said.

- Bernama