KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Covid-19 fresh cases and deaths increased in the 31st Epidemiological Week (ME31) from July 31 to Aug 6 compared to the previous week.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said fresh infections increased by 0.8 per cent in ME31 from 28,339 to 28,554 cases.
"Locally linked cases rose by 0.8 per cent from 28,286 to 28,499 while imported infections increased by 3.8 per cent from 53 to 55 cases.
"As for deaths, it was up by 22.4 per cent with 60 fatalities recorded, up from 49 the previous week," he said in a statement today.
Also on an upward trend was the usage of non-critical Covid-19 beds as well as patients who required breathing assistance, which were up by two per cent and 0.1 per cent respectively.
There were no changes in the number of Covid-19 patients admitted to public hospitals, which remained at 3.8 per cent for categories 1 and 2; and 3.5 per cent for categories 3,4 and 5.
The utilisation of intensive care unit (ICU) beds also remained at 14 per cent, while the occupancy rate at low risk quarantine and treatment centres (PKRC) was down by two per cent.
ME31's Covid-19 recovery rate, he said, saw a drop of 7.2 per cent from 30,837 cases to 28,604. The current recoveries stood at 4,622,915.
The average daily active cases decreased by 2.6 per cent with 45,941 cases, he added.
To date, the total caseload stood at 4,705,824 while fatalities stood at 36,020.
Currently, there are 24 active Covid-19 clusters from a cumulative of 7,047.
Dr Noor Hisham said their records showed that the number of patients monitored by the Covid-19 Assessment Centres (CAC) nationwide had dipped during ME31.
"Those presenting themselves at the CAC were down by 1.7 per cent.
"New Covid-19 cases undergoing home monitoring decreased by 1.5 per cent while those referred by the CAC to the PKRC decreased by 20.9 per cent.
"However, the daily active cases monitored via the virtual CAC was up by 2.2 per cent which represents 66,182 cases from 64,743 previously," he said.
Until ME31, the Covid-19 surveillance at sentinel locations nationwide found that 118 Influenza Like Illness (ILI) samples were found positive with a rate of 15.3 per cent, he said.
No Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) samples were Covid-19 positive.
Dr Noor Hisham added that the nation's infectivity rate stood at 1.1.