AFTER four straight days recording more than 800 daily Covid-19 cases, Malaysia today recorded 732 new infections, taking the nation’s tally to 22,957. 

Director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said despite the slight drop in cases, Sabah still recorded the highest number of daily case, at 535 or 73.1% of today’s cases.  

This would be the 15th consecutive day Sabah has recorded the highest number of cases, and the state’s total since the onset of the pandemic now stands at 9,281.

Selangor also recorded the second highest number of new cases today, at 116 or 15.8% of new infections today. The state’s total number of cases is now 3,965. 

There were also six deaths reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the national toll of fatalities to 199.

As for recoveries, 580 people were discharged, leaving the number of active cases at 7,827. There are around 11,000 hospital beds nationwide designated for Covid-19 patients.

Of the active cases, 102 patients are in intensive care units, with 31 of them needing breathing assistance.

Of today’s fatalities, five were in Sabah and one in Labuan.

The youngest death was a 27-year-old male foreigner who died at the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sabah.

Another death was of a 46-year-old Malaysian male who had high blood pressure and died at the Labuan Hospital.

The remaining deaths were of senior citizens who had chronic illnesses or underlying conditions, including cancer and stroke.

There were also eight new clusters detected in the last 24 hours – in Kudat, Kota Kinabalu and Penampang in Sabah; Labuan; various parts of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur; as well as Negri Sembilan. – October 21, 2020.