COVID-19: 69 New Cases, Lowest Since MCO Enforced - Health DG

PUTRAJAYA, April 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Friday recorded 69 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily figure recorded as opposed to a sequence of triple-digit cases reported since the Movement Control Order (MCO) came into force on March 18. There were further signs of encouragement in the country’s battle against the pandemic when 201 recovery cases were reported, almost three times the number of new cases recorded Friday. Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the 201 cases brings the cumulative fully recovered cases up to 2,967 or 56.5 percent of the total number of cases. “The 69 new cases raises the tally to 5,251 cases and the total number of active cases capable of being infective is 2,198 cases. They have been isolated and given treatment,” he said. Speaking at the Ministry of Health (MOH) COVID-19 daily media conference here, Dr Noor Hisham, however, said that there were another two fatalities recorded today, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 86 cases or 1.64 percent of the death toll. He said the 85th fatality (case 5064) is an 85-year-old Malaysian man who had close contact with case 4,657 linked to the Bali patient-under-investigation cluster. “He was treated for blood cancer at a private medical centre and later transferred to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, Pahang on April 15, and died Thursday at 3.30 pm. “The 86th death (case 5,183) is also a Malaysian man, aged 85, who had a history of high blood pressure and stroke. “He had close contact with case 2,321. He was treated at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) on April 1 and died on April 16 at 8.56 pm,” he said. Dr Noor Hisham said to date, 51 cases are still being treated in the Intensive Care Unit, with 26 of them requiring ventilators. Malaysia first reported a daily low record on Wednesday with 85 cases and 162 recoveries. Since the MCO came into force on March 18-31 (first phase) and extended under the second phase (April 1-14), graph readings for the number of positive cases had been volatile, with triple-digit figures reported daily. -- BERNAMA