THE number of people being treated for Covid-19 is rising again as Malaysia reported 1,268 new infections against 1,083 recoveries in the past 24 hours, said director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Active cases now stand at 14,637 after the country reported more new infections than recoveries for two consecutive days.

Dr Noor Hisham said of today’s new cases, five were imported while the rest were local transmissions.

Selangor once again contributed the bulk of new cases with 490 infections reported in the state.

This was followed by Sarawak with 141 cases and Johor with 135 cases.

Perlis was the only state to report zero cases today.

The cases reported today bring the nation’s cumulative total to 336,808.

A total of 161 patients are in intensive care, with 73 of them requiring respiratory support.

Noor Hisham also said two deaths were reported today, both in Selangor involving locals. Both were men, aged 43 and 77 who had underlying medical conditions.

The death toll in the country now stands at 1,246. – March 24, 2021.