COVID-19 | Malaysia has reported 16 new Covid-19 cases today, of which 12 cases were locally transmitted, and the remainder had acquired the infection abroad.
The majority of the local cases were reported in Kedah which had seven, while another four were reported in neighbouring Penang. One was reported in Johor.
In a statement today, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah attributed three of the Kedah cases to the Sala cluster, where the index case has a history of visiting a hospital patient together with several family members.
The other four Kedah cases as well of all three Penang cases are attributed to the Tawar cluster, which is linked to a funeral held on July 31 and Aug 1.
This includes a six-year-old girl in Sungai Petani, Kedah (Case 9227), who is a classmate of a child (Case 9197) of a healthcare worker (Case 9146), both who previously tested positive for Covid-19.
This comes in the wake of several Tawar cluster infection at a different school in Kulim, Kedah, that has forced the school to shut down temporarily.
Noor Hisham said contact tracing for both clusters is still underway, with 1,910 people being tested so far for the Tawar cluster and 668 people tested for the Sala cluster.
Of these, a total of 514 test results are still pending.
This brings the number of cases attributed to the Tawar cluster to 55 cases, while 11 cases have been attributed to the Sala cluster.
As for the Johor case, Noor Hisham said the case was detected during a ship’s sign-on screening procedure.
“He is not showing any symptoms and has been admitted to the Enche’ Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital,” he said.
Of the imported cases, three originated from Bangladesh and one from the Philippines. All of the imported cases involved foreign nationals.
The number of recovered patients exceeded the number of new cases for today, with 23 people being discharged.
This brings the total number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia to 9,235, with 185 cases still active, while the death toll remains unchanged at 125 deaths.
The number of people being treated in intensive care units fell from eight yesterday to seven today, but three people now required ventilator support compared to two yesterday.
Safe holidays
On another matter, Noor Hisham reminded Malaysians to celebrate the coming Awal Muharam and school holidays safely.
“In conjunction with the upcoming festive occasion and public holiday, many may plan to return to their hometowns and seize the opportunity to visit friends and family. This includes crossing state borders and planning recreational activities with family members.
“However, the Health Ministry urges people to continue observing standard operating procedures and practising the new normal in all future activities.
“Avoid holding any large gathering during this festive season,” he said.
