This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on April 13, 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: While the total number of infections continued to climb, the number of active Covid-19 cases declined by 3.7% on a weekly basis, based on figures provided by the ministry of health (MoH) yesterday, helped by the doubling of the number of recovered patients since April 5.

Total active cases, calculated by deducting the number of patients discharged and deaths from the total number of cases, amounted to 2,499 as at noon yesterday, compared with 2,596 a week prior.

The number of recovered patients over the period doubled to 2,108 in the past week, from 1,005 on April 5, while the number of deaths increased by 15.

The total death toll so far stood at 76, accounting for 1.6% of total infections in the country.

Total cases stood at 4,683 as of yesterday, from 3,662 cases a week earlier, an increase of 1,021 cases or 27.9%.

Malaysia currently has the highest number of cases in Asean, followed by the Philippines (4,648 cases) and Indonesia (4,241), and the ninth-highest tally in Asia.

Indonesia yesterday reported 399 new cases of Covid-19, its biggest daily jump so far, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 4,241, according to data provided by an Indonesian health ministry official, Achmad Yurianto.

Globally, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases was 1.78 million with 1.27 million active cases as at April 11, compared with a total of 1.2 million cases and 892,234 active cases as at April 4.

Total deaths worldwide increased by 68.1% week-on-week to 108,779, making up 6.1% of total confirmed cases.

The US had the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases to date, with a total of 533,115 confirmed cases, as well as the highest death toll of 20,580, followed by Spain (166,019 total cases) and Italy (152,271 total cases).

All three countries reported higher numbers of confirmed cases and deaths, versus China, where the virus reportedly originated from.

The number of cases in China stood at 82,052 at the time of writing, with total deaths of 3,339.

MCO extended to April 28

Last Friday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the second two-week extension of the movement control order (MCO) period, up to April 28, although selected economic sectors are allowed to resume operation in stages with the approval of the relevant authorities.

He said Malaysia’s fight against the spread of Covid-19 had proven fruitful, although the MCO period had to be extended as a precautionary measure.

These specified economic sectors include the automotive, machinery and equipment, aerospace and construction and construction-related services.

Barbershops and hair salons are also allowed to resume operations, although Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob later clarified that there would be an application process for these businesses to resume operations and that it would be limited to businesses in designated green zones only.

Meanwhile, the MoH has projecting for the number of active cases to drop to around 2,033 by the end of the second phase of the MCO, which falls tomorrow, implying a drop of about 466 cases against total active cases of 2,499 as at yesterday’s update.

He said the first two phases of the MCO had been successful in curbing the spread of Covid-19 among communities nationwide.