THE Ministry of Health has noted more than 19,000 people have died of Covid-19 since the pandemic began, reporting 361 more fatalities in the past 24 hours.

Director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said this is the third highest daily count, with the actual death toll now 19,163.

The daily death toll is on the rise despite, the number of active cases trending downwards. Noor Hisham reported 22,701 recoveries against 19,733 new infections as of noon today, making it 248,673 active cases.

The national daily caseload peaked on August 28, with 268,548 patients seeking treatment for the virus.

Meanwhile, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions were also down with 904 people in ICU today, 430 of which required respiratory support.

Noor Hisham said 301 of today’s deaths were Malaysian, with the remaining 60 foreign nationals.

There were deaths reported in Selangor (67), Johor (65), Sabah (54), Kedah (51), Kuala Lumpur (34), Negri Sembilan (29), Kelantan (17), Sarawak (10), Terengganu (9), Malacca (eight), Perak (six), Penang (five), Pahang (four) and Perlis (two).  

Noor Hisham added that 102 of the fatalities were pronounced dead-on-arrival.

There were 26 DOA cases reported in Sabah, 18 in Johor, 17 in Selangor, 16 in Kuala Lumpur, 11 in Kedah, six in Kelantan, four in Penang, and two each in Sarawak and Malacca. 

Meanwhile, Noor Hisham said 35 Covid-19 clusters were reported today with 20 linked to workplaces, 11 traced in the community, two each in high-risk group and education institutions. 

Kelantan reported eight clusters, all of them linked to community infection.

Other states reporting clusters are Selangor (seven), Johor (five), Penang (four), Perak (three), Sarawak, Kedah and Pahang (two each), Negri Sembilan and Malacca (one each).

The 35 new additions today brings the total number of clusters in the country to 4,995, where 3,563 have ended and 1,459 are still active. – September 8, 2021.