Three new Covid-19 cases including cancer patient

CORONAVIRUS | The country today recorded three new Covid-19 cases including a leukaemia patient who was screened prior to undergoing a pre-procedure for cancer treatment.

Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham at a press briefing in Putrajaya said the new cases today comprise one imported infection and two local transmissions. All of them are Malaysians.

The imported case had a travel history to Fiji and New Zealand but was denied entry by both countries. He later transited in Singapore to return home. 

The local transmissions involve the cancer patient from Selangor and another from a workplace screening in Sandakan, Sabah.

The new infections in the last 24 hours up to noon put the cumulative cases to date at 8,637.

He also reported 16 Covid-19 patients have been discharged from hospital, putting the total recoveries at 8,334, a recovery rate of 96.5 percent.

A total of 182 people are still under treatment of which four are in the intensive care unit (ICU) with one of them needing a ventilator to breathe.

No new fatalities were reported, maintaining the death toll at 121 cases.

Noor Hisham said 5,407 swab tests for Covid-19 were conducted yesterday. 

The maximum capacity of 55 public and private labs are at 36,812 tests a day.

Noor Hisham urged the public to continue heeding the Health Ministry advice to avoid crowded places, confined spaces and close conversations, or the 3Cs.

He also urged Malaysians to practise the 3Ws - Wash, Wear and Warn - which is to regularly wash thier hands, wear a face mask in public and heed health warnings.