KUALA LUMPUR: Covid-19 hospitalisation has increased by nine per cent in the 28th Epidemiology Week (ME28) compared to the previous week.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said Covid-19 patients in all categories showed a 33 per cent increase within the one-week period.
"Intensive care unit (ICU) admissions also rose by three per cent, while admissions to Low-Risk Covid-19 Quarantine and Treatment Centres (PKRC) remained unchanged.
"Meanwhile, cases requiring respiratory assistance increased by 0.3 per cent," he said in a statement today.
The data, said Dr Noor Hisham, also showed an increase of two per cent in bed usage in hospitals.
At the same time, cases referred to Covid-19 Assessment Centres (CAC) saw an increase of 23.1 per cent and those undergoing home quarantine observations jumped by 41.3 per cent.
He said there was also an 18.2 per cent hike in the number of Covid-19 cases referred from CACs to PKRCs.
He added that the number of cases observed via virtual CACs also rose by 33.8 per cent, from 53,306 cases in ME27 to 71,326 in ME28.
For recoveries, he said, the figure increased by 16.8 per cent, from 16,379 cases in ME27 to 19,138 cases in ME28.
New cases, however, also increased by 23.4 per cent, from 21,355 cases to 26,355 cases between both epidemiology weeks.
"Average active cases stood at 38,110 cases in ME28, a rise of 18.6 per cent from ME27.
"The number of deaths also rose by 2.6 per cent, from 38 to 39 cases in ME27," he said.
Overall, till July 16, 2022, Dr Noor Hisham said there were 4,619,045 Covid-19 cumulative cases nationwide, with 38,110 active cases; 4,540,717 cumulative recoveries; 35,848 cumulative deaths and 7,026 clusters with 12 active ones.
Meanwhile, the average R-naught (infectivity rate) value remained at 1.1.
Surveillance for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) also increased by 8.5 per cent from 10.6 per cent in ME27 to 11.5 per cent in ME28.