KUALA LUMPUR (March 14): The Ministry of Health (MoH) announced 41 new confirmed Covid-19 cases as of noon today — the highest number of new cases reported in a single day, bringing the tally to 238 in Malaysia.
The number of infected cases has doubled this week. There have been 139 new cases detected in the country since Monday (March 9).
Malaysia is currently the country with the highest number of infected cases in the ASEAN region while Singapore is the second highest with 200 confirmed cases. The number of cases in Thailand increased to 82 today, Indonesia 96 and the Philippines 98, Vietnam 53, and Brunei Darussalam 40, according to official data.
In a separate statement issued at 7pm, MoH revealed that among the 41 cases detected today, 37 infected patients are related to the tabligh assembly at the Mosque in Sri Petaling, southern Kuala Lumpur.
Meanwhile, three new confirmed cases have had close contact with the cluster involving patient no. 33, while the remaining one has travelled to Iran.
With the 37 new cases, the MoH confirmed that there is a total of 77 Covid-19 positive cases linked to the tabligh assembly in Sri Petaling.
The ministry said it has been able to trace some 4,942 participants at the tabligh assembly in Sri Petaling Mosque, 3,069 of whom tested for Covid-19 and 137 of them have been referred to hospitals.
The MoH said samples have been taken from 1,634 cases that have symptoms of acute respiratory illness for further tests.
Meanwhile, 2,932 cases are under home surveillance for 14 days starting from the day they attended the assembly at Sri Petaling Mosque.
Currently, there are 203 Covid-19 patients being treated, five of whom are categorised as severe cases; they are given anti-viral treatment in intensive care units with the support of respiratory aid equipment.
A total of 1,321 samples from patients of influenza illness and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) have been tested, of which three cases have been confirmed Covid-19 positive, said MoH.
Two cases, patients no. 35 and 61, have recovered and have been discharged from Sungai Buloh Hospital, raising the number of cured cases to 35, said the ministry.
The number of confirmed cases has topped 147,000 globally, the death toll has risen to 5,539, while there are 73,480 cured cases as of today.
The spread of the virus outside China, where there are 80,826 cases, has been rapid in recent weeks. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced yesterday that Europe has become the epicentre of a coronavirus pandemic.
In view of the rising number of new infected cases in the country, MoH has in its twitter message today advised the public to avoid any gatherings with more than 50 people.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the government has taken precautionary measures to either cancel or postpone all public gatherings including international meetings, sporting fixtures, social and religious events accordingly until April 30, 2020.
“The decision will be reviewed if the Covid-19 situation improves,” said Muhyiddin in a televised speech on Friday night.
Muhyiddin told the Malaysian public that the Covid-19 crisis is not expected to end soon, given the increasing number of infected cases globally.
The newly minted prime minister said the government will step up screening processes at all international points of entry in the country, impose travel bans on high-risk countries and provide special passages for tourists from such countries.
The government will also increase the number of hospitals that can provide treatment for Covid-19 cases. To date, there are 26 public hospitals and one university hospital, namely Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya, that are equipped to handle Covid-19 cases, said Muhyiddin.
"A collaboration between public and private hospitals is also underway to cater to the rising number of infected cases. This includes hospitals under the Defence Ministry and universities," he added.