COVID-19 Weekly Round-up: Four States Account For Bulk Of New Cases

By Melati Mohd Ariff

This is a round-up of COVID-19 related matters in Malaysia and globally from July 24 up to noon today. In Malaysia, case numbers have exceeded one million and globally, the virus has infected nearly 197 million people and caused over four million deaths. More than 216 countries and territories are affected by the pandemic.

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) – It has been a “record-breaking” week for Malaysia on the COVID-19 front.

Daily new cases soared to their highest levels, causing the cumulative total to cross the one million mark. And, the number of cases requiring treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) shot up to four figures.

Last week, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan were the major contributors to new infections and this week, two other states – Johor and Kedah – have entered the “fray”.

Malaysia recorded its highest single-day new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (July 28) with 17,405 cases. Its cumulative COVID-19 cases reached 1,013,438 on Sunday (July 25).

Malaysia has been recording five-figure daily cases since July 13 when 11,079 new infections were registered.

It also reported a record high of 207 deaths twice this week – on Monday (July 26) and Tuesday (July 27).

The Dewan Rakyat being disinfected after a few Parliament staff tested positive for COVID-19. --fotoBERNAMA (2021) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Over the 24-hour period up to noon yesterday, 17,170 new COVID-19  infections were reported nationwide, bringing the nation’s active caseload to 179,179 and cumulative total to 1,078,646.  

Following is the daily breakdown of new cases nationwide during the week under review from July 24 to 29: 

July 24 (15,902 cases), July 25 (17,045), July 26 (14,516), July 27 (16,117), July 28 (17,405) and July 29 (17,170).

Four states, namely Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Kedah and Johor, accounted for the bulk of new cases reported this week, as follows:

Selangor – July 24 (7,351), July 25 (8,500), July 26 (6,508), July 27  (6,616), July 28 (7,171) and July 29 (7,163).

Kuala Lumpur – July 24 (2,406), July 25 (2,045), July 26 (1,425), July 27 (2,457), July 28 (2,880) and July 29 (2,138).

Kedah – July 24 (867), July 25 (1,216), July 26 (1,160), July 27 (1,000), July 28 (1,112) and July 29 (1,212). 

Johor – July 24 (804), July 25 (950), July 26 (1,449), July 27 (907), July 28 (767) and July 29 (1,054).

Vans carrying the bodies of COVID-19 victims to a Muslim cemetery in Klang. --fotoBERNAMA (2021) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

For the record, the above four states accounted for 11,567 or 67.4 percent of the 17,170 new cases reported nationwide yesterday.

Currently, Malaysia also has to contend with 1,064 active clusters. The nation has recorded a total of 3,604 clusters so far and 2,540 of them have ended.

This week, 213 new clusters were reported, with 119 or 56 percent linked to the workplace.

As of yesterday, 1,043 patients were being treated in the ICU with 531 requiring respiratory aid.

Another 174 fatalities were reported yesterday, bringing Malaysia’s COVID-19 death toll to 8,725 (0.81 percent of total cases).

With its total cases of 1,078,646, Malaysia now stood at the 30th spot in the list of 216 countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Just ahead of Malaysia is Romania (1,082,880 cases) and Sweden (1,099,414 cases).

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN MALAYSIA

Ministry of Health workers and Civil Defence Force members handling the burial of patients who died of COVID-19 at the Muslim cemetery in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. --fotoBERNAMA (2021) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Meanwhile, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said in his personal Facebook account on Wednesday that ongoing studies carried out by the Institute of Medical Research identified 10 cases over the past one week caused by Delta (B.1.617.2), the new and more transmissible variant of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

So far, Malaysia has identified 439 cases caused by COVID-19 variants categorised as variants of concern (VOC) and variants of interest (VOI). A total of 419 of these cases were caused by VOC and 20 by VOI.

As for the breakdown of cases caused by VOC, 206 were caused by the Beta variant, 199 by Delta and 14 by Alpha. In terms of VOI, 13 cases were caused by the Theta variant, four by Kappa and three by Eta.

Following is the breakdown of the number of cases reported by the various states and federal territories yesterday:

Selangor 7,163 cases; Kuala Lumpur 2,138; Kedah 1,212; Johor 1,054; Negeri Sembilan 884; Sabah 776; Pahang 638; Kelantan 615;  Perak 596; Sarawak 582; Penang 554; Terengganu 437; and Melaka 416.

Putrajaya, meanwhile, reported 84 cases, Labuan 11 and Perlis 10.

According to Dr Noor Hisham’s post in his personal Facebook account, the COVID-19 virus’ infectivity rate or R0/Rt value stood at 1.11 on July 24; July 25 (1.15 ), July 26 (1.14), July 27 (1.14), July 28 (1.16 ); and July 29 (1.15).

The states that recorded the highest R0/Rt values yesterday were Terengganu at 1.36, Kelantan 1.27 and Sabah 1.22.

COVID-19 SCENARIO IN MALAYSIA (JULY 24-29)

The 20,000-litre liquid oxygen gas tank at the integrated COVID-19 quarantine and treatment centre in Serdang. --fotoBERNAMA (2021) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Following is the daily breakdown of recovered cases: July 24 (9,471 cases), July 25 (9,683), July 26 (9,372), July 27 (11,526), July 28 (12,373) and July 29 (12,930).

Following is the daily breakdown of new cases, local transmissions and imported cases:

July 24 – new cases 15,902; local transmissions 15,876 (12,842 or 80.9 percent Malaysian citizens); imported 26; 

July 25 – new cases 17,045; local transmissions 17,039 (13,169 or 77.3 percent citizens); imported six;

July 26 – new cases 14,516; local transmissions 14,513 (11,480 or 79.1 percent citizens); imported three;

July 27 – new cases 16,117; local transmissions 16,091 (12,984 or 80.7 percent citizens); imported 26;

July 28 – new cases 17,405; local transmissions 17,399 (14,341 or 82.4 percent citizens); imported six; and July 29 – new cases 17,170; local transmissions 17,138 (14,807 or 86.4 percent citizens); imported 32.

The daily breakdown of fatalities is as follows:

July 24 – 184 (157 Malaysian citizens, brought in dead or BID cases 32);

July 25 – 92 (90 citizens, BID eight);

July 26 – 207 (184 citizens, BID 14);

July 27 – 207 (181 citizens, BID 31;

July 28 – 143 (123 citizens, BID 14); and

July 29 – 174 (157 citizens, BID 28).

The BID cases refer to deaths that occurred outside healthcare facilities, with the bodies testing positive for COVID-19 after RT-PCR tests were carried out.

Thousands of migrants queuing up outside the vaccination centre at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. --fotoBERNAMA (2021) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Following is the daily breakdown of new clusters reported this week:

July 24 – 27 clusters (workplace 15, community seven, detention centre two, education one, high-risk group one and imported cluster one);  two and education one);

July 25 – 34 (workplace 18, community 15 and high-risk group one);

July 26 – 33 (workplace 21, community 10 and education two);

July 27 – 42 (workplace 25, community 12, high-risk group two, detention centre two and education one);

July 28 – 41 (workplace 22, community 16, detention centre two and education one); and

July 29 – 36 (workplace 18, community 14, high-risk group three and detention centre one).

GLOBAL COVID-19 STATISTICS

Current worldwide statistics on COVID-19 and COVID-19 case summary in Malaysia. worldometers.info/coronavirus

The total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide, according to Worldometer, at the time of writing this article stood at 197,365,402 (193,558,569 cases at the same time last Friday) and deaths 4,214,617 (4,154,549 last Friday). The total number of recoveries stood at 178,517,335.

Some 216 countries are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and those in the top 10 of the list are the United States, India, Brazil, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Argentina, Colombia and Spain.  

The breakdown is as follows: United States 35,584,272 cases (628,492 deaths); India 31,571,295 (423,244); Brazil 19,839,369 (554,626); Russia 6,218,502 (156,977); France 6,079,239 (111,764); United Kingdom 5,801,561 (129,515); Turki 5,682,630 (51,184); Argentina 4,905,925 (105,113); Colombia 4,766,829 (120,126); and Spain 4,422,291 (81,442). 

 China, where the outbreak was first reported at end-December 2019, is now at the 107th spot in the list of countries affected by COVID-19 with 92,875 cases while its death toll remained at 4,636. 

Besides Malaysia, the five other Southeast Asian nations that have joined the list of 105 countries with more than 100,000 cases are Indonesia (14th spot) with 3,331,206 cases and 90,552 deaths), the Philippines (24th spot) with 1,572,287 cases and 27,577 deaths, Thailand (44th spot) with 578,375 cases and 4,679 deaths,  Myanmar (72nd spot) with 289,333 cases and 8,552 deaths, and Vietnam (94th spot) with 133,405 cases and 1,020 deaths.

Cambodia (111th spot) has reported 75,917 cases and 1,350 deaths; Singapore (114th spot) 64,722 cases and 37 deaths; Laos 5,575 cases and six deaths; and Brunei 333 cases and three deaths.

COVID-19 BACKGROUND

The World Health Organisation’s China country office was informed of cases of pneumonia that were detected in Wuhan on Dec 31, 2019. On Jan 7, the Chinese authorities confirmed that the newly detected novel coronavirus can be transmitted from human to human.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-COV).

A study of the virus’ genetic sequence suggested similarities to that seen in snakes and bats. China health officials identified the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan as the source of the transmission of the coronavirus.

On Feb 11, 2020, WHO announced the official name of the virus, COVID-19, which is an acronym for coronavirus 2019 – CO stands for corona, VI for virus and D for disease.

On Jan 30, 2020, WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global emergency and on March 11, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.

WHO has described the COVID-19 outbreak as much more dangerous than the A H1N1 Influenza, also known as Swine Flu.

Swine Flu, which occurred between January 2009 and August 2010, infected more than 1.6 million people and caused 18,449 fatalities. It was first detected in Mexico and later in the United States in March 2009.

COVID-19 was detected in Malaysia on Jan 25, 2020, when three Chinese citizens, who had entered Malaysia through Johore from Singapore on Jan 23, were tested positive for the disease.

New variants of the COVID-19 coronavirus have since emerged in the United Kingdom (identified as B117) in September 2020, South Africa (501Y.V2) in October 2020 and India (B.1.617), also in October last year.

Translated by Rema Nambiar

BERNAMA