KUALA LUMPUR: The number of new positive Covid-19 cases today remained in four figures with 1,472 cases in which 52.9 per cent or 778 cases were detected from the Teratai cluster.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah however said 1,552 recoveries were reported, which exceeded the number of new positive cases.
“The Teratai cluster today also contributed to 87.3 per cent of the daily cases in Selangor (891 cases),“ he said in a statement today.
He said over the week, Malaysia has shown a more stable total for daily cases with a large portion coming from construction sites and factories.
“The high figure follows the expansion of active screening and detection of close contacts in the field,” he said.
Dr Noor Hisham said since its announcement on Nov 7, a total of 6,603 individuals had been screened for the Teratai cluster and out of the number, 5,056 cases were detected positive involving 331 (6.5 per cent) locals and 4,725 (93.5 per cent) foreigners.
A total of 1,501 individuals were detected negative while 46 individuals are still awaiting results. and all positive cases have been isolated.
“Therefore, MOH welcomes the announcement by Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to extend the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) at the factory workers’ hostel from Dec 1 to Dec 14,“ he said.
He said the employer had been instructed to stop operation and close the factory in stages to conduct screening on all its employees.
Apart from that, he said, health personnel have also been mobilised from the beginning to the affected areas to assist in control and prevention activities.
On the total new cases recorded today, he said five were imported.
“To date, there are 120 positive Covid-19 cases being treated at intensive care unit (ICU), with 44 cases requiring respiratory assistance while three deaths were recorded,“ he said.
Dr Noor Hisham said the three deaths involved individuals from Sabah. The first death involved a 64-year-old woman with diabetes, high blood pressure and colon cancer.
The second death involved a 51-year-old man with high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease and the third death involved a 24-year-old man. — Bernama
