2,525 infections reported

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia reported a record high 2,525 Covid-19 cases on the last day of 2020, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 113,010.

In a statement yesterday, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there were also eight deaths, bringing the cumulative death toll to 471, which translates to a fatality rate of 0.42%.

Selangor recorded the highest number with 1,205 (47.7%) cases, followed by Sabah (299) and Melaka (239), he added.

There were 13 imported cases.

He said 131 cases were being treated in intensive care units with 60 requiring ventilator support.

Dr Noor Hisham also said there were 1,481 recoveries yesterday, bringing the total number to 88,941.

He said the ministry identified five new Covid-19 clusters yesterday while three had ended.

The five new clusters are Jalan Galah, Jalan Datuk, Kampung Baharu, Pekeliling and Jalan Rasah.

The Jalan Galah cluster, involving Selangor’s Klang district, saw 22 cases after 90 individuals were screened from Dec 13-31, said Dr Noor Hisham.

The Jalan Datuk cluster, which involved Titiwangsa, Kepong, Lembah Pantai, Klang, Hulu Langat and Putrajaya areas, reported 23 positive cases after 34 individuals were screened from Dec 26-31.

The Kampung Baharu cluster involved the Johor Baru and Pontian districts in Johor, where 35 cases were detected from 194 individuals who were screened in a factory from Dec 23-31.

The Pekeliling cluster, involving the Johor Baru district, reported 27 positive cases after 185 individuals were screened in a factory from Dec 21-31.

The Jalan Rasah cluster, which involved Seremban and Putrajaya, reported 17 cases after 47 individuals were screened from Dec 23-31.

The three clusters that were closed yesterday were Teduh, Jaya and Berendam, putting the number of active clusters to 2,256.

“From that figure, 49 clusters recorded a rise in cases, ” said Dr Noor Hisham, who urged the public to adhere to the SOP.

Meanwhile, a Health Ministry survey of 212,006 respondents showed 67% of them would accept the Covid-19 vaccine, while 17% remained unsure and another 16% did not agree to being vaccinated against Covid-19.

The survey’s findings, published on the ministry’s Twitter account yesterday, described those who were either hesitant or objected to the vaccination as being worried about the side effects of the vaccine.

“Of the 17% that are unsure of the vaccination, 71% said they were not certain if the vaccine would be safe to use, ” said the ministry on the survey conducted from Dec 21-28.