Malaysia sees fourth-highest daily COVID-19 infections with 17,150 cases

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Sunday (Aug 1) reported 17,150 new COVID-19 cases - the country's fourth-highest daily tally to date. 

The new cases have brought the national tally of coronavirus infections to 1,130,422, said health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Selangor is still the state with the highest number of daily cases with more than 6,000 infections, followed by Kuala Lumpur with 2,086, and Kedah with 1,511, he added. 

The health ministry also recorded 160 more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the country's total death tally to 9,184. 

This comes a day after Malaysia reported 17,786 coronavirus cases - a record high for the country.

READ: Malaysians stage anti-government protest despite COVID-19 curbs

More than 100 people gathered on Saturday in the centre of Kuala Lumpur expressing dissatisfaction with the government's handling of the pandemic and calling on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to quit.

Protesters carried black flags and held up placards that read “Kerajaan Gagal” (failed government) – a hashtag popular on social media for months.

It was the first sizeable demonstration in Malaysia for some time, as many had been reluctant to take to the streets due to virus curbs and for fear of getting infected.

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