2,468 new COVID-19 cases reported Tuesday - Health D-G

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23  -- A total 2,468 new COVID-19 cases was reported today raising the total cumulative COVID-19 cases in the country to 288,229 cases while 14 deaths were reported due to the pandemic in the last 24 hours.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said 4,055 recoveries were reported today which were higher than the daily positive cases taking the overall recovery cases to date to 256,678 cases.

‘’A total 30,475 active COVID-19 cases was also reported today,’’ he said in a statement on the development of COVID-19 today, adding that 196 of the active cases were being treated at intensive care unit with 92 requiring respiratory aid.

He said, of the total new daily cases, 2,464 cases were local infections involving 1,549 locals and 915 non-citizens, apart from four imported cases, namely two locals and two foreigners.

Dr Noor Hisham said Selangor with 932 cases continued to record the highest number of new cases, followed by Johor (428 cases), Perak (308 cases) as well as Kuala Lumpur and Penang (155 cases each).

He said the 14 deaths reported today were in Selangor (10 cases), Sarawak (two cases) and one each in Johor and Sabah, all aged between 30 to 77, comprising 13 Malaysians and one foreigner.

Dr Noor Hisham said 175 cluster-related cases were reported in prisons and immigration detention depots, among others, the Tembok Bendera Cluster (107 cases), Tembok Bukit Besi Cluster (36 cases), Tembok Pengkalan Chepa Cluster (19 cases).

Penjara Jalan Harapan Cluster (nine cases), Penjara Seberang Perai Cluster (two cases), other than one case each involving Penjara Jalan Sungai Jelok Cluster and Penjara Kepayan Cluster.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said 13 new clusters were identified today, with 11 linked to the workplace while two involved the communities, namely, Taman Mawar, Sabah and Jalan Muhibbah, Sarawak.

The workplace clusters identified were Tapak Bina Digital Lapan, Jalan Wawasan 16, Jalan Cyber Sembilan and Jalan Tebrau Pandan in Johor.

Jalan Damai, Jalan Serendah and Subang Tiga (Selangor), Jalan Setiawangsa and Jalan Bayam (Kuala Lumpur); Tapak Binaan Jalan Ekar (Negeri Sembilan) and Jalan PKNK 3/3 in Kedah.  

Dr Noor Hisham said 90 clusters recorded the highest increase in new cases today including Tapak Bina Digital Lapan Cluster (131 cases), Tembok Bendera Cluster (107 cases), and Jalan Pelabuhan Cluster (95 cases).

The addition of the new clusters brought the total number of active clusters currently to 509, while the total number of clusters closed were 586 after eight clusters were reported to have ended today.

-- BERNAMA