KUALA LUMPUR (June 28): Deaths due to Covid-19 nationwide breached the 5,000 mark today, as 5,218 new infections were also reported by the Health Ministry.

This is the sixth consecutive day that new cases remain above the 5,000 level.

The latest cases represented an 8.55% positivity rate from 61,025 people tested across the country in the 24 hours as of noon today.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said Selangor continued to post the most infections among all states and federal territories.

But the 1,989 fresh cases reported by the most populous state marked an improvement after five straight days of more than 2,000 infections.

Selangor was followed by Negeri Sembilan (629 cases), Kuala Lumpur (469), Sarawak (409) and Perak (400), Dr Noor Hisham said in a statement.

Another 57 deaths were confirmed today involving 54 Malaysians and three foreigners, raising the nation's death toll to 5,001.

The latest deaths comprised 15 in Selangor, 13 in Negeri Sembilan, six in Johor, five in Melaka, three each in Kuala Lumpur, Perak and Labuan, two each in Sarawak, Kedah, Pahang and Kelantan, and one in Penang.

The number of patients in intensive care units, meanwhile, climbed to 899 from 886 the day before. Of these, 451 Covid-19 patients need ventilators to breathe.

Dr Noor Hisham said the number of active cases across the country stood at 61,812, after another 4,744 patients were discharged, raising the total number of recoveries to 672,453 and giving a recovery rate of 91%.

Malaysia's cumulative confirmed infections stood at 739,266, he added.

The Health Ministry also detected 22 Covid-19 clusters today in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Kedah, Kelantan, Sarawak and Terengganu.

They comprised 16 workplace and six community clusters.

To date, 2,794 clusters have been reported in the country of which 1,914 have ended, leaving 880 active clusters.