CORONAVIRUS | Malaysia today recorded 47 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total infections to 6,941, according to Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He also said no new fatality was recorded, keeping the death toll at 113.

Of the new cases today, Noor Hisham said 21 were imported as they were infected abroad while another 26 were local transmissions.

On the imported cases, he said 20 involved Malaysians returning from Saudi Arabia while another is from the US.

As for the new local transmissions, Noor Hisham said the bulk of them, or 17, were from the Pudu cluster in Kuala Lumpur.

Speaking at the Health Ministry's daily briefing in Putrajaya, he also reported that 44 Covid-19 patients have recovered.

This brings the total recoveries to 5,615 or 80.9 percent of total cases.

Noor Hisham said 1,213 more patients are under treatment with 13 in the intensive care units, of which six need ventilators to breathe.

In the overall, he said the series of movement control orders (MCO) since March 18 had helped bring the number of new Covid-19 cases down.

However, Noor Hisham added that its success is dependant on people's compliance.

He again expressed concern at people's insistence to travel interstate even though it is not allowed under the now more relaxed conditional MCO.

Noor Hisham noted that police had caught and turned back 2,931 vehicles trying to do so in the last three days.

He warned that those intending to return to their hometowns ahead of the festive season risk infecting vulnerable people in their family.

Until May 18, of the 6,941 cases, 961 or 13.8 percent involved senior citizens aged 60 and above.

Noor Hisham said 10.8 percent (744) cases involve people who have comorbidity.

These groups are more likely to die from Covid-19.

Noor Hisham said 4.6 percent or 318 of the Covid-19 cases also involve children.

He reiterated that it is important for Malaysians to be socially responsible by complying with the conditional MCO and protect the vulnerable in their family on top of practising good hygiene and social distancing.

The director-general said people should avoid confined and crowded spaces as well as close conversations.

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