Covid-19 (Jan 8): Record high 16 deaths and 2,643 new cases

COVID-19 | The Health Ministry reported 2,643 new Covid-19 cases and a record number of deaths, patients in intensive care and patients requiring ventilators to survive. 

Nine of the 16 deaths were reported in Selangor, followed by four in Sabah and three in Johor. The current Covid-19 death toll stood at 537.

The long list of deaths in Selangor came one day after a staggering 33 cases of severe acute respiratory illness (Sari) was reported in the state yesterday. Selangor is the only state which reports granular data on the source of test results. Learn more here.

Today, the Selangor Health Department has reported 102 cases detected from those with symptoms, up from 49 yesterday and 16 cases detected from those with Sari.

Leading indicators:

• Active cases: 25,140 ↓ (602 less than previous day)
• Patients in ICU:  170 ↑ (28 more than previous day, new record)
• Intubated patients: 82 ↑ (19 more than previous day, new record)
• Deaths: 16 (New record)

According to the Health Ministry, of the 2,643 new cases today, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) involve Malaysian citizens while 37 percent involved foreigners. 

The three most active clusters are Sungai Putus (374 cases; Klang, Selangor), Jalan Klinik (132 cases; Klang, Selangor), dan Penjara Jalan Harapan (73 cases; Started in Selangor, spread nationwide ).

The Health Ministry did not hold a press conference today. Its press conferences are typically, but not always, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. RT-PCR capacity and test numbers were unavailable today.

New cases according to state or territory at a glance: 

Selangor (1,086)
Existing clusters: 487
New clusters: 165 (Jalan Klinik, Bukit Belimbing and Tapai Bina Hevea)
Close contact: 252
Imported: 2
Other screening: 180

Sabah (401)
Existing clusters: 21
New clusters: 10 (Kauran)
Close contact: 256
Other screenings: 114

Johor (298)
Existing clusters: 126
Close contact: 45
Other screenings: 127

Kuala Lumpur (282)
Existing clusters: 31
New clusters: 75 (Kapital and Setapak Indah)
Close contact: 75
Other screenings: 101

Kedah (107)
Existing clusters: 22
Close contact: 19
Other screenings: 66

Negeri Sembilan (88)
Existing clusters: 37
Close contact: 32
Other screenings: 19

Perak (80)
Existing clusters: 56
Close contact: 16
Other screenings: 9

Pulau Pinang (75)
Existing clusters: 36
Close contact: 19
Other screenings: 20

Malacca (70)
Existing clusters: 52
Close contact: 13
Other screenings: 5

Kelantan (49)
Existing clusters: 17
Close contact: 19
Other screenings: 13

Terengganu (34)
Close contact: 26
Other screenings: 8

Pahang (28)
Existing clusters: 3
Close contact: 22
Other screenings: 3

Putrajaya (20)
Existing clusters: 3
Close contact: 16
Other screenings: 1

Sarawak (16)
Existing clusters: 8
Other screenings: 8

Labuan (6)
Existing clusters: 2
Close contact: 3
Other screenings: 1

Perlis (3)

Other screenings: 3

Deaths

Details of the 16 victims are as follows:

Selangor

Patient 123,973 - Male, 50, passed away at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

Patient 123,984 - Male, 70, passed away at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

Patient 124,203 - Male, 60, passed away at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

Patient 126,197 - Female, 62, passed away at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

Patient 126,598 - Male, 79, passed away at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

Patient 126,601 - Male, 72, passed away at the Ampang Hospital.

Patient 126,602 - Male, 71, passed away at the Banting Hospital.

Patient 126,608 - Female, 63, passed away at the Serdang Hospital.

Patient 126,616 - Male, 55, passed away at the Serdang Hospital.

Sabah

Patient 123,240 - Male, 66, body brought to the Duchess of Kent Hospital, Sandakan.

Patient 123,241 - Male, 63, body brought to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu.

Patient 123,242 - Male, 46, body brought to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu.

Patient 123,244 - Female, 66, passed away at the Duchess of Kent Hospital, Sandakan.

Johor

Patient 112,405 - Male, 59, passed away at the Enche Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital, Kluang

Patient 125,169 - Male, 56, passed away at Sultanah Fatimah Hospital, Muar.

Patient 128,101 - Male, 44, passed away at the Enche Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital, Kluang.

Clusters

Another six clusters were classified today.

The abovementioned Jalan Klinik cluster involved the targeted screening of a factory in Klang, Selangor. There are 132 cases in this cluster.

The Tapak Bina Hevea cluster involved a construction site in the Petaling district of Selangor where 30 cases have been detected so far.

The Bukit Belimbing cluster involved the targeted screening of a company and the Petaling and Klang districts in Selangor. There are 33 cases in this cluster.

The Kauran cluster involved the Keningau district in Sabah where the index case tested positive on Jan 8. There are 55 cases in the cluster.

The Kapital cluster involved the Lembah Pantai district in Kuala Lumpur where the index case tested positive on Jan 7 after reporting symptoms. There are 72 cases in this cluster.

The Setapak Indah cluster involved the Titiwangsa district in Kuala Lumpur. The index case tested positive on Jan 7 through voluntary Covid-19 testing. There are 16 cases in this cluster.