Malaysia reports record 2,593 COVID-19 cases, 13 new clusters

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported a record 2,593 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (Jan 6), with Selangor and Kuala Lumpur accounting for almost half of the new infections.  

Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah said there were also four new fatalities, bringing the national death toll to 513. The deaths involved Malaysian citizens aged 50 to 73 in Sabah, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

A total of 965 cases were detected in Selangor while Kuala Lumpur recorded 265 infections. A further 571 cases were reported in Johor and 405 in Sabah, said health authorities.

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Thirteen new clusters were also identified, the highest number recorded in a day so far, said Dr Noor Hisham.

Ten of these clusters involve workplaces in Selangor, Sabah, Johor and Kuala Lumpur. The remaining three clusters are in Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Selangor.

There are currently 252 active clusters in Malaysia.

Dr Noor Hisham added that 141 cases are in the intensive care unit, with 67 requiring respiratory support.

Malaysia has seen four-digit daily increases in COVID-19 cases for more than two weeks.

As of Wednesday, the country has recorded 125,438 cases. A total of 24,347 of these are currently classified as active or infectious cases.

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