COVID-19 cases in Malaysia rose for the second straight day as the Health Ministry reported 571 new infections yesterday. 

Active cases, however, dropped to 11,564 after 696 people recovered from the illness. 

There were seven deaths linked to the coronavirus yesterday – two each in Selangor, Johor and Negri Sembilan, and one in Penang – taking the death toll to 36,866. 

Of the new infections, Selangor logged 191 cases, Kuala Lumpur (82), Sarawak (54), Malacca (40), Perak (37), Penang (29), Kedah (24), Pahang (21), Johor (20), Sabah (18), Terengganu (15), Negri Sembilan (15), Putrajaya (13), Kelantan (10), Perlis (1) and Labuan (1). 

Among the active cases, 10,945 people were in home quarantine (94.6%) and 619 were in hospital (5.4%).

There were 38 patients in intensive care, 18 of whom required respiratory assistance. – January 6, 2023.