A TOTAL of 117 new Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in Malaysia, bringing the total number of cases to 790.

Of these, 80 were linked to the cluster from the Sri Petaling mosque tabligh assembly, said Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.

“So far, 15 of these cases are being treated in the intensive care unit,” he added.

He said 11 patients have been discharged from hospital, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 60.

Yesterday, Malaysia recorded its first two deaths in the pandemic, one of whom was a man who attended the tabligh event. He died in the Sultanah Aminah Hospital intensive care unit in Johor Baru.

It is understood he had developed a fever on March 5 and was admitted to Permai Hospital on March 12.

The other patient was a 60-year-old man who died at 11am in Sarawak General Hospital. The patient had a history of diabetes and hypertension.

A total of 120 new cases were reported yesterday.

As of today, 513 people who attended the tabligh have tested positive for the virus.

About 16,000 people had attended the three-day event on February 27, of which 14,500 were locals.

The authorities are still in the process of testing all of them for the infection. Many have been reluctant to submit to the test. – March 18, 2020.