KUALA LUMPUR (April 3): A day after the health director-general said it is too early to conclude whether the first phase of Malaysia's partial lockdown has been successful in containing the spread of Covid-19, the country continues to record a rise in new infections.

As at noon today, 217 new confirmed cases were recorded – nine more after the 208-case spike seen yesterday – bringing the latest Covid-19 positive cases in the country to 3,333. 

It is also the fourth time the daily figure topped 200 cases, since the first infection was discovered in Malaysia on January 25. Malaysia remains Southeast Asia's worst coronavirus-hit nation, and the fifth in Asia.

About 27% or 58 of the new cases today have been traced to the religious or tabligh gathering at the Sri Petaling Jamek Mosque here, according to health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

There are also three more deaths recorded – two women and one men, all aged above 50 – pushing the death toll to 53. Of the two women, one was aged 84 while the other was 73. The man was aged 52.

Dr Noor Hisham also updated that 60 patients have been cleared to be discharged today, raising the total number of patients who have recovered to 827, or about 25% of total cases.

Meanwhile, 108 patients in the country are now under intensive care, with 54 of them needing respiratory assistance.

The number of Covid infections around the world have now soared past one million, with over 53,000 deaths. The United States now has the highest number of infections at 245,573 cases, followed by Italy (115,242), Spain (112,065), Germany (84,794) and China (81,623). 

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Covid-19: Total infected healthcare workers in Malaysia jump over two-thirds in a week to 138

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