The Health Ministry today reported 150 new Covid-19 coronavirus infections in Malaysia and seven additional deaths.
- Total infections – 2,470, which is the highest tally in Southeast Asia
- Total deaths – 34
- Oldest fatality today – 91-year-old woman, with a 27-year-old man the youngest
- In ICU – 73, with 52 requiring breathing assistance
- Recovered and discharged today – 68, with tally of fully recovered cases rising to 388
- No more new cases from the first or even second generation of the tabligh cluster, now related to fourth or fifth generation
- Spread is “all over” because the tabligh congregation members also went to mosques to pray and infect other attendees there
This brings the Covid-19 toll in the country to 2,470 infections and 34 deaths, the ministry’s Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) announced at a press conference today.
Malaysia has, by far, the highest tally of infections in Southeast Asia.
According to Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, of cases still undergoing treatment in hospital, 73 are in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) – 52 of whom require breathing assistance.
Meanwhile, 68 more patients recovered and were discharged from hospital today, raising the tally of fully recovered cases to 388.
Dr Noor Hisham said of the latest deaths, the oldest victim was a 91-year-old woman with a history of diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney problems.
She died at University Malaya Medical Centre at 8.48am yesterday.
The youngest of the seven was a 27-year-old man with the same health issues. He died at Raja Perempuan Bainun Hospital in Ipoh at 7.44pm.
“One of the victims included a 50-year-old man who was a participant of the Seri Petaling (tabligh) gathering.
“He was treated at the Eche Besar Hajah Kalsom Hospital in Johor on Mar 22, and died at 7.44pm on Mar 28,” Dr Noor Hisham told reporters.
“Of the 34 Covid-19 deaths recorded, 55.6% of the victims were aged 60 and above, while 67.7% had chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and heart disease.”
The new positive cases of Covid-19 infection are largely seen among those who have been infected through four or five generations from the original Sri Petaling tabligh event.
Dr Noor Hisham said the infection chain triggered by the tabligh cluster has already widened within just one month, and now there are no more new cases from the first or even second generation.
“The number now we see, that the tabligh group, or the congregation from Sri Petaling, have already gone into the fifth generation,” he said.
“So, no more first generation, second generation. Within a period of one month, the expansion already we are seeing, is a result of the fifth generation.
“The new clusters will be indirectly related to either the fourth generation or the fifth generation,” he said, adding that the spread is “all over” mainly because the tabligh congregation members also went to mosques to pray, and infect other attendees there.
Dr Noor Hisham said that to date, 17,965 members from the Sri Petaling mosque congregation have been screened, with 12,842 samples taken.
Out of that, 1,254 tested positive to date, while 7,084 tested negative, with 4,504 still awaiting their results.
“This means that we have 5,123 of those need to undergo the sample testing,” he said.
Dr Noor Hisham said that the ministry may resort to using halls and indoor stadiums should the daily Covid-19 infection cases rise to 1,000.
He said that currently there are 19,200 additional beds for patients nationwide in all of the ministry’s training centres, in addition to the currently available 3,400.
“We see to the need. For example, now we have 19,200 beds nationwide using the Health Ministry’s institutes, but if the situation, for example, we see a daily case increment till 1,000, we may open more temporary hospitals using halls or indoor stadiums and such,” he said.
“If we were to see in the Selangor state level, we use the Sungai Buloh Hospital, so cases which do not have symptoms but test positive, or those who have symptoms but mild ones, we would shift them to the ministry’s training institutes first, and the hospitals would be reserved for moderate or critical cases.
“Should cases increase, maybe we will use the Health Ministry’s institutes and also the temporary hospital in MAEPS which has 600 beds,” he said, referring to the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang.
Yesterday, Dr Noor Hisham said converting the MAEPS into a makeshift hospital is just a precautionary move.