Malaysia reports new daily record of 22,242 COVID-19 cases

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia recorded a new daily high of 22,242 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (Aug 18), bringing the national total to 1,466,512.

Another 225 fatalities were reported, taking Malaysia's death toll from the disease to 13,302, health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

There are 1,060 COVID-19 patients currently in the intensive care unit, including 540 who require ventilators.

Selangor reported the highest number of new cases with 6,858 infections, while Kuala Lumpur added 1,587. Together, the Klang Valley accounted for 8,445 new infections.

Seven other states recorded more than 1,000 cases each - Sabah with 2,413, Johor with 1,477, Sarawak with 1,403, Kedah with 1,852, Pulau Pinang with 1,867, Kelantan with 1,351 and Perak with 1,036.

Other states that recorded triple-digit increases include Negeri Sembilan with 577, Melaka with 579, Pahang with 675 and Terengganu with 487.

The previous record for new daily cases in Malaysia was 21,668, reported on Aug 12.

As of Wednesday, 34.9 per cent of Malaysia's population have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 53.4 per cent have received at least one dose.