DAILY Covid-19 hospitalisations dropped to 964 yesterday despite reporting the year’s record of 5,439 new infections, the Health Ministry reported. 

Yesterday’s 1,075 hospital admissions had broken a 21-day streak of below-1,000 daily hospital patients. 

Malaysia logged 10 new coronavirus-linked fatalities, taking the death toll to 31,940. 

The hospital utilisation rate dropped to 66% yesterday from 66.6% the day before, while Covid cases in the wards grew to 29.3% from 29.1%. 

Ventilator utilisation was at 34.3% while intensive care unit occupancy remained unchanged at 54.4% with Covid patients accounting for 14.4%.

The hospital admission rate indicates the severity of the virus. Hospital utilisation includes bed occupancy as well as the number of patients in ICU and on ventilators. 

Johor recorded the most number of admissions at 230, followed by Selangor with 216, and Sabah 118. 

Other states reporting new hospitalisations were Negri Sembilan (68), Kuala Lumpur (67), Sarawak (64), Kelantan (54), Kedah (34), Pahang (34), Perak (27), Malacca (18), Penang (16), Putrajaya (8), Terengganu (7) and Perlis (3). 

Only Labuan did not record any virus hospitalisations yesterday. 

Kedah posted the highest hospital bed utilisation rate, including for non-Covid cases, at 80.9%.

The Klang Valley accounted for 1,818, or 33.4%, of yesterday’s 5,439 new infections. Cases were reported in Selangor (1,355), Kuala Lumpur (420) and Putrajaya (43)

Other states and territories posting new cases were Johor (805), Kedah (428), Penang (396), Kelantan (395), Negri Sembilan (393), Sabah (342), Pahang (300), Malacca (299), Perak (142), Terengganu (68), Sarawak (19), Labuan (18) and Perlis (16). 

Active cases rose to 47,805 as new cases outnumbered recoveries. 

Among the 10 new fatalities, three were dead on arrival. All deaths were backdated. 

Selangor reported three deaths, Kuala Lumpur and Kelantan two each, and Johor, Perak and Sarawak reported one each.

The three DOA cases were reported in Kelantan, Perak and Sarawak. 

The local virus mortality rate was at 0.4% while the two-week average for deaths by infection was 42 per 10 million people. – January 28, 2022.