MALAYSIA reported 16 new Covid-19 cases as of noon today, of which half were local transmissions with the majority of them in Sarawak, Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

Thes new cases raises the national tally of infections to 8,831.

Of the eight local transmissions, seven involved Malaysians in Sarawak.

Three cases were linked to the Stutong cluster, while the Sentosa and PUI Melbourne clusters each saw one new infection.

The Melbourne cluster is a new cluster that involves a Malaysian student returning from Australia on July 15, Dr Noor Hisham said in a statement. 

The sixth local transmission involved a family member of an earlier Covid-19 patient, while the seventh was a school employee who was screened before returning to work.

The eighth local transmission, a foreigner, was detected  when the person was screened before leaving for a trip abroad. This case has been warded at Sungai Buloh Hospital.

The eight imported cases involve four Malaysians and four foreigners who have either permanent residency here or were allowed to enter for work.

The eight arrived from India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, Indonesia and South Korea.

The new cases put the number of active Covid-19 infections at 142.

Meanwhile, four people have recovered and were discharged from hospital as of noon today.

This brings the total number of recoveries to 8,566.

No fatalities were reported, keeping the death toll at 123.

Five patients are currently  in intensive care, with one requiring intubation. – July 22, 2020.