Covid-19 (Feb 21): New cases inch above 3,000 again, big spike in Perak

COVID-19 | The Health Ministry today reported 3,297 new Covid-19 cases, breaching the 3,000-mark for the first time in eight days.

The uptick was fuelled by a significant spike in Perak which recorded 1,215 new cases.

This was the first time Perak recorded four-digit new cases in a day during the third wave of the pandemic. The previous record was 245 new cases on Jan 21.

Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a statement, said the spike was due to the Jalan Changkat Jong cluster which comprised 86.1 percent of the new cases in Perak today.

The cluster was first reported on Feb 18 and is a workplace cluster involving a factory in Teluk Intan.

Of the 3,291 new cases today, 1,889 were non-citizens while 1,402 were Malaysians.

However, the number of active cases continued to decline due to the high recovery of 4,456 cases.

• Active cases: 33,304
• Patients in ICU: 209
• Intubated: 91

Deaths

Another five people succumbed to Covid-19, bringing the death toll to 1,056.

The deaths were in Selangor (2), Terengganu (2) and Kuala Lumpur (1).

The youngest casualty was a 29-year-old non-citizen who was brought in dead at Ampang Hospital, Selangor.

The remaining four patients were all Malaysians aged above 60 with the oldest being an 82-year-old man who died at Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

Case numbers by state:

Perak (1,215)
Existing clusters: 169 
New cluster: 1,046 (Jalan Changkat Jong cluster)
Close contacts: 16
Other screenings: 12

Selangor (868)
Existing clusters: 339
Close contacts: 456
Imported: 4
Other screenings: 69

Johor (431)
Existing clusters: 157
New clusters: 103 (Jalan Cemerlang Besi, Persiaran Cemerlang, Jalan Kelapa Mawar, Jalan Kota Kulai, Jalan Pandan Ria clusters)
Close contacts: 93
Imported: 1
Other screenings: 77

Sarawak (185)
Existing clusters: 47
Close contacts: 95
Other screenings: 43

Pulau Pinang (127)
Existing clusters: 34
New cluster: 20 (Perusahaan Baru)
Close contacts: 25
Other screenings: 48

Kuala Lumpur (123)
Existing clusters: 7
Close contacts: 64
Imported: 1
Other screenings: 51

Negeri Sembilan (122)
Existing clusters: 63
Close contacts: 33
Other screenings: 26

Sabah (85)
Existing clusters: 15
Close contacts: 45
Other screenings: 25

Malacca (65)
Existing clusters: 54
Close contacts: 4
Other screenings: 7

Kelantan (30)
Close contacts: 23
Other screenings: 7

Kedah (15)
Existing clusters: 3
Close contacts: 5
Other screenings: 7

Terengganu (12)
Existing clusters: 6
Close contacts: 6

Pahang (9)
Existing clusters: 6
Close contacts: 2
Other screenings: 1

Putrajaya (7)
Existing clusters: 6
Close contacts: 1

Labuan (3)
Close contacts: 1
Other screenings: 2

Clusters

To date, 510 out of 1,074 Covid-19 clusters are still active, and 82 of these clusters reported new cases today.

This includes six clusters being declared over and the emergence of another six new clusters today.

The clusters declared resolved are Mikro, Tasik Utama, Titian, Jalan Wangsa construction site, Kota Road and Tanjung Lumpur.

Details about the new clusters are as follow:

Jalan Persiaran Cemerlang cluster

District(s): Johor Bahru, Johor
Locality/Source: A factory along Jalan Persiaran Cemerlang, Taman Perindustrian Cemerlang.
Cluster category: Workplace
First case: Feb 21
Total infected: 12 out of 131 screened

Jalan Cemerlang Besi cluster
District(s): Johor Bahru, Johor
Locality/Source: A factory along Jalan Cemerlang, Taman Perindustrian Cemerlang
Cluster category: Workplace
First case: Feb 21
Total infected: 31 out of 83 screened

Jalan Kota Kulai cluster
District(s): Kulai, Johor
Locality/Source: A factory along Jalan Kota Kulai
Cluster category: Workplace
First case: Feb 21
Total infected: 31 out of 89 screened

Jalan Kelapa Mawar cluster
District(s): Batu Pahat, Johor
Locality/Source: A factory along Jalan Kluang and its dormitories along Jalan Kelapa Mawar, Taman Soga
Cluster category: Workplace
First case: Feb 21
Total infected: 16 out of 91 screened

Jalan Pandan Ria cluster
District(s): Johor Bahru, Johor
Locality/Source: A cleaning company along Jalan Kangkar
Cluster category: Workplace
First case: Feb 21
Total infected: 13 out of 43 screened

Perusahaan Baru cluster
District(s): Sberang Perai Tengah, Pulau Pinang
Locality/Source: A factory along Lorong Perusahaan Perai 3
Cluster category: Workplace
First case: Feb 20
Total infected: 24 out of 213 screened