PRESS STATEMENT
MINISTRY OF HEALTH MALAYSIA
UPDATES ON THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19)
SITUATION IN MALAYSIA
Current Status of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Who Have Recovered
10 April 2020 – The Ministry of Health (MOH) would like to inform that 222 cases have fully recovered and discharged well today. Cumulatively, 1,830 confirmed COVID-19 cases have fully recovered and discharged well (42.11% of total cumulative cases).
Current Situation of COVID-19 in Malaysia
10 April 2020, 12 pm – A total of 118 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported to the National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) MOH today. Cumulatively there are now 4,346 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Malaysia. The number of cases discharged well is more than the number of additional confirmed cases reported today.
Currently, 69 confirmed COVID-19 cases are receiving treatment in intensive care units (ICU), and of these, 40 cases are on ventilation support.
Regretfully, three (3) additional COVID-19 deaths were reported to the National CPRC MOH. Cumulatively, there are now 70 COVID-19 deaths in Malaysia (1.61% of total cumulative cases):
- Death #68: Case 694 is a 62 year-old Malaysian man with a history of diabetes. He was a close contact to a confirmed COVID-19 case (Case 159) from the Seri Petaling cluster. He was admitted into Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Sabah on 17 March 2020 and was pronounced dead on 10 April 2020 at 8.21 am.
- Death #69: Case 4,229 is a 77 year-old Malaysian man with a history of diabetes. He was admitted into Kuala Lumpur Hospital on 27 March 2020 and was pronounced dead on 10 April 2020 at 4.00 am.
- Death #70: Case 4,230 is an 88 year-old Malaysian woman with a history of hypertension, heart disease and dementia. She was a close contact to a confirmed COVID-19 case (Case 1,684). She was admitted into University of Malaya Medical Centre on 20 March 2020 and was pronounced dead on 10 April 2020 at 2.38 am.
MOH conveys condolences to all the family members.
Management of COVID-19 Bodies
MOH would like to inform that the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, MOH had conducted an autopsy on a COVID-19 patient. This autopsy was done under Section 16 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342). The autopsy revealed that the COVID-19 virus was detected on the surface of the body through real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (rt-PCR) analysis conducted by the Institute for Medical Research (IMR).
This finding supports the views submitted to MOH previously and approved by the “Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Muzakarah Khas Majlis Kebangsaan Bagi Hal Ehwal Ugama Islam Malaysia” (Meeting of the National Special Council for Islamic Religious Affairs of Malaysia) that convened on 15 March 2020, as well as the Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and Taoists Religions Meeting that convened on 16 March 2020. This includes the management of bodies and burial. For those of Islamic faith, only the tayammum (dry ritual purification using purified sand or dust, instead of ritual washing with water) is allowed on the surface of the body bag. Whereas for those of other religions, any religious or traditional rituals can only be conducted on the surface of the body bag.
Current Status of the Implementation of the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO)
The Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) has been implemented in several high-risk localities. For example, Bandar Baharu Dato’ Ibrahim Majid in Simpang Renggam, Kluang was the first locality to be placed under the EMCO on 27 March 2020.
A total of 1,634 COVID-19 screening tests have been conducted, and of these, 138 individuals were found to be COVID-19 positive and 1,496 individuals were negative. Of note, 79 positive cases were detected prior to the enforcement of the EMCO, with the remaining 59 positive cases detected after the EMCO. There were three (3) COVID-19 deaths from this locality (Cases 1,114, 1,251, and 2,627).
The surrounding areas around Bandar Baharu Dato’ Ibrahim Majid has been designated as the Buffer Zone, that includes Kampung Dato’ Ibrahim Majid, Kampung Parit Penghulu, Kampung Parit Salleh and Taman Seri Bayu, with an estimated combined population of 1,800 people. Active case detection (ACD) has been conducted on 1,500 individuals, of which 359 were screened (samples taken) based on their risk assessment. Of these, 13 individuals were found to be positive for COVID-19, 88 individuals were negative, and 258 samples are currently being tested.
Various activities are being carried out during this EMCO period, including a population census, ACD from house to house, collection of samples, disinfection-related activities and health promotion. For confirmed COVID-19 cases, these patients were placed under quarantine at the JAKOA Training Centre Quarantine Station in Kluang, Johor.
Extension of the Movement Control Order
MOH welcomes the further two-week extension of the Movement Control Order (MCO) as announced by the Prime Minister a little while ago. This will provide further opportunity for the Government in effectively managing the spread of the COVID-19 infection, before MOH can re-evaluate the level of effectiveness and current situation of the COVID-19 infection in the country.
Based on the latest situation of COVID-19 in Malaysia, the implementation of the MCO was found to have assisted MOH in limiting the spread of the infection to a more stable level. This can be seen from the trend of additional COVID-19 cases reported daily and the infection trajectory projected by MOH based on current data.
However, Malaysia is still mid-way and will require continuous implementation of all prevention and control measures. In fact, current measures must be further strengthened to break the infection transmission chain, through enhancement of existing measures and activities, as well as incorporating new and customised approaches for specific target groups of the population.
These will be in line with the statement made by the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on 25 March 2020, that called upon aggressive measures, such as the Movement Control Order, that will provide an opportunity for countries to better manage the COVID-19 infection.
Dr Tedros had also warned that ending the movement restrictions too early can result in a rebound and an increased rate of COVID-19 infection transmission in the country and within the community. The public will continue to be infected, older adults and individuals with chronic diseases will be disproportionately affected, and the health system capacity will be overwhelmed in managing an even bigger wave than what we are currently experiencing right now.
Health Advisory on COVID-19
MOH advises the public to always practice a high level of personal hygiene, such as washing hands frequently with water and soap, and practicing social distancing of at least 1 meter away from others.
MOH will continue to monitor the development of the COVID-19 situation based on all available information, and the public will be continuously updated on the latest information.
Thank you.
Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah
Director General of Health Malaysia
10 April 2020 @ 5.00 pm
Number of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in Malaysia, by States
(Cumulative, as of 10 April 2020, 12 pm)
| State | No. of New Cases | Cumulative |
| Perlis | 0 | 17 |
| Kedah | 0 | 93 |
| Pulau Pinang | 1 | 109 |
| Perak | 1 | 242 |
| Selangor | 30 | 1,148 |
| Negeri Sembilan | 11 | 292 |
| Melaka | 14 | 133 |
| Johor | 20 | 523 |
| Pahang | 4 | 187 |
| Terengganu | 3 | 101 |
| Kelantan | 1 | 149 |
| Sabah | 2 | 250 |
| Sarawak | 15 | 327 |
| WP Kuala Lumpur | 14 | 713 |
| WP Putrajaya | 2 | 49 |
| WP Labuan | 0 | 13 |
| Total | 118 | 4,346 |
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