MALAYSIA has recorded 311 Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative death toll to 18,802, director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.

While the toll inches closer to 19,000 – after passing 18,000 on Sunday – the national active caseload continues to drop, from 252,668 yesterday to 252,002 today.

Of this total, 977 patients are in intensive care units, with 447 requiring respiratory support.

Today’s 18,902 recoveries outnumbered the 18,547 new cases reported.

To date, 1,609,930 patients have recovered from Covid-19.

Of the total fatalities, 93 were declared dead on arrival and 220 had a history of comorbidities. 

By state, there were 55 deaths in Selangor, 53 in Johor, 45 in Sabah, 43 in Kedah, 34 in Penang, 20 in Perak, 14 in Kelantan, 12 in Terengganu, 10 each in Kuala Lumpur and Malacca, five each in Sarawak and Pahang, three in Negri Sembilan, and two in Perlis.

Putrajaya and Labuan reported no cases. 

Thirty-nine new clusters were also reported, of which 23 are linked to workplaces, 13 in the community, one among high-risk groups, one at an academic institution and one at a detention centre. 

In total, the country has recorded 4,960 clusters with 1,465 still active. – September 7, 2021.