THE number of Covid-19 fatalities in the country surpassed the 5,000 mark today despite Malaysia reporting a decline in deaths for the past two days, said director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. 

A total of 57 fatalities were reported as of noon today, a reduction from the 60 reported yesterday. 

The latest figures bring the country’s death toll to 5,001.

Of the 57 deaths today, Selangor and Negri Sembilan are the only states to report double-digit fatalities at 15 and 13 respectively.

Other states to report deaths are Johor (6), Malacca (5), Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Perak (3 each), Sarawak, Kedah, Pahang and Kelantan (2 each) and Penang (1). 

A total of four victims were declared dead on arrival.

The oldest victim today was a female aged 96 who succumbed to the disease in Negri Sembilan, while the youngest victim, also a female aged 33, died in Labuan. 

While the number of Covid-19 deaths declined for the past two days, intensive care unit admissions jumped from 866 on Saturday to 899 today. 

The number of those requiring respiratory support also rose to 451. 

Meanwhile, the number of active cases also continued to increase in the past three days as new cases outnumbered recoveries. 

Today, Malaysia recorded 5,218 new cases against 4,744 recoveries. This increased the active cases to 61,812. – June 28, 2021.