Health DG says the number of active cases is now at 986 with only 8 new Covid-19 cases recorded

by S BIRRUNTHA/ pic by BERNAMA

THE Health Ministry (MoH) announced yesterday that the number of active Covid-19 cases in Malaysia dipped below 1,000 for the first time since March.

Health DG Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the number of active cases is now at 986.

Yesterday, only eight new Covid-19 cases were recorded with six local transmissions involving four non-Malaysians and two locals.

The remaining were two import cases involving permanent residents in the country. This brings the country’s total number of infections to 8,453. All four cases involving non-Malaysians were from the construction site cluster in Kuala Lumpur.

Among the two local cases, one was identified from a clinical screening in Sarawak and one from the senior citizen care centre in Melaka.

Among the current active cases, four are placed in the intensive care unit, with no cases requiring respiratory aid.

Thirty-five patients have recovered, increasing the recovered cases percentage to 86.9%, which equals to 7,346 as of yesterday. One new death related to Covid-19 was reported yesterday, bringing the number of casualties due to the pandemic to 121. The deceased was a 67-year-old Indian national detainee at the Bukit Jalil immigration depot.

He had a history of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high-blood pressure, heart and kidney diseases.

Dr Noor Hisham said the man was found unconscious before being rushed to Hospital Canselor Tuanku Mukhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

“He died on June 12 and tests found that he was positive Covid-19. His autopsy results are still pending.

“We are still in the process of investigating the cause of his death. We will monitor and screen the other detainees who were with him in the cell and isolate them,” he added.

Dr Noor Hisham also pointed out that the detainee’s cause of death could be related to other factors or diseases, as he was only found positive Covid-19 after his death.

Meanwhile, in conjunction with the World Blood Donation Day yesterday, Dr Noor Hisham had once again urged more Malaysians to come forward for blood donation.

“The role of blood donors and promoters in blood donation campaigns is huge. Through the donations, many human lives can be saved.

“We are very proud and grateful to Malaysians who donate and contribute to blood donation activities.

“On average, 2,000 bags of blood donated by Malaysians are used to help 1,000 patients every single day,” he added.

He also said the MoH welcomes the public to continue donating blood and organising blood donation campaigns in the community.