BERNAMA
26/12/2020
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 -- Malaysia recorded 2,355 new COVID-19 cases today, the highest daily figure since the pandemic hit the country, taking the total number of cases so far to 103,900.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the new development also took the number of active cases beyond the 20,000 mark for the first time with 20,035 cases, with two new deaths involving Malaysians recorded.
He said the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur reported the highest number of new cases at 728, with 677 of them involving existing clusters and the result of close contact screenings.
“Selangor recorded 710 cases; Johor (412 cases); Sabah (248 cases); Penang (58 cases); Kelantan (54 cases); Negeri Sembilan (33 cases); Perak (26 cases) and Pahang (19 cases).
“Meanwhile, Kedah and the Federal Territory of Labuan each recorded 16 cases; Sarawak (six cases); Melaka (five cases); Federal Territory of Putrajaya (three cases) and Perlis only one case," he said in a statement here today.
The country has recorded more than 2,000 new daily cases four times prior to this, namely 2,188 cases on Nov 24; 2,234 (Dec 10); 2,018 (Dec 21) and 2,062 (Dec 22).
He said of the total number of new cases, only 11 were import cases with the rest being local transmissions.
Dr Noor Hisham said 308 of the new cases were linked to clusters in lockups, immigration detention depots, and prisons, namely the Jalan Harapan Prison Cluster, Selangor (156 cases); Pagar Siput Cluster, Johor Cluster (128 cases); Tembok Cluster, Kedah (eight cases); Sandakan Prison Cluster, Sabah (seven cases) and Pagar Bentong Cluster, Pahang (four cases).
"Meanwhile, the Tembok Gajah Cluster in Johor recorded two cases, while one case each was recorded in the GK Tawau Cluster and the Kepayan Prison Cluster in Sabah, as well as the Kolam Air Cluster in Kedah," he said.
According to Dr Noor Hisham, the two new casualties today took the cumulative number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Malaysia to 451 cases.
The 450th death at the Duchess of Kent Hospital, Sandakan, Sabah involved a 44-year-old woman suffering from obesity and dyspepsia, while the 451st death at the Melaka Hospital involved a 70-year-old man with diabetes, high blood pressure and Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy.
He said 874 patients were also reported to have recovered today, bringing the cumulative number of fully recovered cases to 83,414, while 108 cases were currently being treated at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), with 50 of them requiring respiratory assistance.
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