THE Health Ministry reported 19 new Covid-19 deaths yesterday, a drop from the 29 fatalities reported a day earlier. 

According to the ministry’s GitHub raw data repository, four were dead-on-arrival (DOA). It also indicated that all the fatalities reported yesterday were backlog cases.

The national death toll now stands at 31,092, while the cumulative total under the DOA category is at 6,286.

The daily death figure is the sum total of the number of reported deaths on the day plus backlog cases only just confirmed by the health authorities to be due to Covid-19.

Johor recorded the highest number of deaths yesterday at four, followed by Terengganu and Sabah (3 each), Kedah, Perak and Pahang (2 each), and Kelantan (1). 

The Klang Valley had two deaths in total yesterday, both in Selangor. Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya reported no fatalities.

There were no coronavirus-linked deaths in Penang, Malacca, Sarawak, Negri Sembilan, Perlis and Labuan.

Of the four DOA cases, two occurred in Sabah, and one each in Johor and Pahang. 

The local virus fatality rate remained at 0.7%, and the national average for Covid-19 deaths stayed at 11 per population of a million. – December 20, 2021.