Record deaths, ICU patients as Malaysia reports more than 6,000 new COVID-19 cases for 6th straight day
Health workers wearing personal protective equipment carry a coffin during a funeral for a COVID-19 victim in Klang, Malaysia on May 23, 2021. (Photo: AP/Vincent Thian)
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported a record number of COVID-19 fatalities on Monday (May 24) as well as more than 6,000 new cases for the sixth consecutive day.
All 61 victims were Malaysians, aged 27 to 98. Many of them suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes.
Fifty-five of the victims died in hospital. The health ministry said the remaining six cases were "brought in dead".
There are also 711 patients in the intensive care unit, another record figure. Of these, 369 require respiratory support.
A total of 2,049 of the 6,509 new cases were found in Selangor.
There were 329 in neighbouring state Negeri Sembilan while both Kuala Lumpur and Johor each reported 468 new cases. Another 530 infections were identified in Sarawak and 384 in Penang.
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Only 20 of the new cases were imported infections, involving 17 citizens and three foreigners.
Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah also announced that 20 new clusters were formed, bringing the national total of active clusters to 570.
Eight of the new clusters are linked to workplaces, six are in the community and three stemmed from religious gatherings.
The remaining three clusters were traced to an education institution, a dialysis centre in Selangor and crew members of a ship docked at the Port of Johor, Pasir Gudang.
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According to the health ministry’s latest forecast, the authorities predict nearly 9,000 new daily infections by early June if COVID-19 safe management measures are not followed.
The health ministry on Monday also reiterated its call for members of the public to stay at home as much as possible for at least two weeks in order to break the COVID-19 chain of transmission.
Those who need to leave their homes for work or to purchase daily necessities should follow the COVID-19 standard operating procedures to protect themselves, said the ministry.
As of Monday, Malaysia reported a total of 518,600 COVID-19 cases, of which 60,018 are currently classified active. The country’s death toll stands at 2,309.
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