THE daily number of Covid-19 cases may hit 1,700 by December 23 if the standard operating procedure is not followed strictly, said director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said the high number was based on the Health Ministry’s projected infectivity rate, or R-Naught (R0), in the range of 0.95 to 1.05 during that period.

He said that with the R0 projection, the number of daily Covid-19 cases could surge to 1,700 by the date.

“So far, our R0 is at 0.96.

“We are expecting that on December 23, the R0 might be between 0.95 and 1.05. So, if we follow this number, then probably there will be around 845 to 1,700 daily cases,” Noor Hisham said at the Covid-19 briefing in Putrajaya today.

He added that it is important for the public to strictly adhere to the SOP, especially now that interstate and inter-district travel is now allowed.

“Make sure we practise all the SOP.

“If you can, avoid the 3Cs – crowded places; confined spaces; close conversations and practise 3W – wash; wear and warn. With this, we can avoid being infected,” he said.

Noor Hisham reminded everyone that the battle with the pandemic was yet to be won.

Malaysia today recorded 959 new cases, halting a run of four-digit new cases for six consecutive days. Malaysia recorded 1,600 cases on December 7.

The record number of highest cases per day is 2,188 on November 24. – December 9, 2020.