SEVENTEEN new Covid-19 patients who are critically ill in Category 5, and 11 in Category 4, were all fully vaccinated, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.

Another 38 are in Category 3, where pneumonia has set in but patients do not require respiratory assistance. Category 4 cases have pneumonia and require oxygen, while Category 5 cases require intubation.

Noor Hisham said a higher number of vaccinated breakthrough infections were found with mild Covid-19.

These are 1,800 cases in Category 1 (asymptomatic) and 2,022 in Category 2 (mild symptoms).

Combined, the mild cases of those vaccinated comprise 18% of today’s total of 20,837 new Covid-19 infections.

Noor Hisham said all the cases involving those vaccinated had completed the 14 days’ period after their second dose.

However, the bulk of today’s new cases, 16,949 or 81.3%, were either unvaccinated or have had only one dose.

“This shows that the Covid-19 vaccine is effective in reducing the risk of serious infections,” Dr Noor Hisham said.

Overall, there have been more new cases involving mild Covid-19 in tandem with the increasing vaccination rate.

Of new cases today, 20,479 or 98.3% are in Categories 1 and 2. – August 24, 2021.