KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia today recorded its highest number of Covid-19 daily fatalities with 153 deaths reported over a 24-hour period.
This is the seventh consecutive day where the country recorded more than 100 fatalities. Yesterday, Covid-19 claimed 138 lives, while on Friday, there were 115 deaths. On Thursday, there were 110 deaths, following Wednesday (118), Tuesday (125) and Monday (102).
In a statement today, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said 82 deaths were recorded in Selangor, 17 in Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan (14), Johor (10), Kedah (eight), Pahang (six), Melaka (five), Sabah, Penang and Putrajaya (two each), and one each in Terengganu, Sarawak, Kelantan, Perak, and Labuan.
He said currently 909 patients were treated at the intensive care units (ICUs) where 445 of them were intubated.
Meanwhile, new Covid-19 cases saw a slight decline today with 10,710 new infections recorded as of noon, bringing the total number to 916,561, where 124,593 are active cases.
Dr Noor Hisham said of the new cases, 12 were imported and 97.9 per cent or 10,479 new cases were under category 1 and 2.
"A total of 6,317 were asymptomatic cases and 4,162 cases established mild symptoms. Ninety-one cases were classified under category 3, 45 of them need oxygen support, which is under category 4 and 95 cases required ventilator support."
He stressed that although only 2.1 per cent were under category 3, 4 and 5, but these groups of patients required long-term treatment at wards and ICUs.
"This will add to the limited bed capacity that we have and indirectly burden the health care system, particularly at ICUs, hospitals and the low-risk quarantine and treatment centre. We need take care of ourselves, our families and our communities to ensure that all are protected from Covid-19, register and get vaccinated to protect ourselves, and protect all."
He said positivity rate is at 8.68 per cent today as 123,386 samples were tested. This is the lowest positivity rate recorded in the past seven days. On July 12, the positivity rate is at 9.56 per cent, July 13 (9.48 per cent), July 14 (8.89 per cent), July 15 (9.82 per cent), July 16 (8.96 per cent) and July 17 (9.5 per cent).
Selangor remained as at the state with highest daily cases with 4,828 new cases registered, followed by Kuala Lumpur (945), and Johor (808).
Other states with three-digit new infections were Negri Sembilan that logged 771 cases, Kedah (696), Sabah (666), Perak (407), Pahang (369), Penang (295), Melaka (289), Sarawak (261), Kelantan (146), and, Terengganu (123). Putrajaya recorded 51 cases, 50 cases in Labuan and five in Perlis.
Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 12,528 new Covid-19 cases, 12,541 on July 16, July 15 (13,215), July 14 (11,618), July 13 (11,079).
A total of 5,778 new recoveries were reported, bringing the cumulative total of recoveries to 784,949 or 85.6 per cent.
He said R-naught (Rt), infectivity rate, in Malaysia now stood at 1.18.
"Terengganu is the state with highest Rt at 1.31. States with Rt above 1.0 are Putrajaya (1.26), Kedah (1.25), Negri Sembilan and Kuala Lumpur (1.19), Penang (1.18), Selangor, Melaka, Perak and Sabah (1.15), Kelantan (1.13), Pahang (1.11) and Johor (1.10)."
At the same time, he said 17 new Covid-19 clusters were identified today, including 10 workplace clusters, five community clusters, one detention centre cluster and one high-risk group cluster.
The 10 workplace clusters comprised three in Selangor (Industri Desa Aman, Industri Jalan Klinik and Persiaran Pekeliling Bangi); two in Sabah (Agathis and Sri Sandau); Kuala Lumpur (Jalan Segambut Duta); Melaka (Industri Jalan Usaha 12); Kedah (Dah Padang Temusu); Johor (Batu Enam Pandan) and Kelantan (Lorong MIEL Lundang).
Three community clusters were identified in Johor (Jalan Bacang 30, Jalan Tasek Seri Alam and Jalan Denai Utama), Kedah (Dah Kampung Kerchut) and Pahang (Pos Iskandar).