The Malaysian Insight

THE number of Covid-19 cases are expected to reduce by the end of this month, said director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. 

There may be a downward trend in cases once 40% of the population are fully vaccinated, Noor Hisham said.

Currently, only 24.5% of the population have received two doses, while 46.4% have received one jab. 

The highest 7-day average case rate from July 31 to August 6 was recorded in Kuala Lumpur at 105.7 per 100,000 population. This is followed by Selangor (101.5), Putrajaya (75.6), Negri Sembilan (71.7), Malacca (53.8), and Kedah (51.8). 

“These figures indicate that Covid-19 infections have spread within communities,” said the health D-G.

He said that the number of clusters have also increased from 286 in the period of June 23 to July 6, to 401 between July 21 and August 1.

Within the same period, workplaces clusters also increased from 180 to 213, while community clusters climbed from 86 to 142.

“This increase follows more extensive screening of close contacts,” he said, adding that this was due to an increased awareness in the community to get tested.

“The increase in cases is also believed to have been due to the Delta variant. 

“To date, a total of 199 cases of the Delta variant have been detected in the community,” he said.

Malaysia reported a record high of 20,889 cases and 160 deaths today.

There are now 221,396 active cases, with a record 1,096 patients being treated in intensive care, and 545 requiring respiratory assistance. – August 6, 2021.