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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported a record 3,309 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday (Jan 12), its biggest daily increase since the start of the pandemic.
The spike in cases comes less than a week after Malaysia set its previous daily case record of 3,027 infections on January 7.
Malaysia has reported daily four-digit increases in COVID-19 cases for about a month as it struggles to contain its third wave of infections.
The Klang Valley, which comprises Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, accounted for about a third of the new cases reported Tuesday with 1,333 infections. Johor and Sabah registered 442 and 409 cases respectively.
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There were also four new deaths. The victims, Malaysian nationals between 52 and 69 years old, were from Selangor and Ipoh.
A total of 190 cases are currently in the intensive care unit (ICU) and 83 require respiratory support, said Chief Health Officer Noor Hisham Abdullah.
A medical staff in protective suits wait at the COVID-19 drive-thru testing center outside the Ajwa Private Clinic in Shah Alam, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, on January 12, 2021 (Photo: AFP / Mohd Rasfan).
He added that authorities have also identified 11 new clusters, bringing the number of active clusters in the country to 261.
Malaysia will tighten COVID-19 restrictions starting Wednesday, in a renewed effort to combat the alarming increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.
READ: No Parliamentary Session or Election During COVID-19 State of Emergency – Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that the states of Penang, Selangor, Melaka, Johor and Sabah, as well as the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan will once again be under the movement control order (MCO).
Under the restrictions, which will last two weeks through January 26, interstate travel is prohibited across the country, while interdistrict travel is not allowed for states under the MCO.
A medical staff in a protective suit performs a COVID-19 test on a person at a self-service testing center outside the Ajwa Private Clinic in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, on January 12, 2021 (Photo : AFP / Mohd Rasfan).
The King of Malaysia also declared a nationwide state of emergency on Tuesday to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The emergency will last until Aug. 1 or earlier, depending on the status of coronavirus infections, Palace Comptroller Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said in a statement.
READ: Another Malaysian minister tests positive for COVID-19, second cabinet case in 3 days
The palace statement said 15 hospitals handling COVID-19 cases have recorded a non-ICU bed use rate of more than 70 percent.
“In the Klang Valley, the use of ICU beds for COVID-19 patients at Kuala Lumpur Hospital and Malaya University Medical Center has reached 100%, while at Sungai Buloh Hospital 83 %. The ICU bed use rate for COVID-19 patients in Perak, Selangor, Melaka, Terengganu and Sarawak have exceeded 70 percent, “he added.
As of Tuesday, Malaysia has reported a total of 141,533 COVID-19 cases, of which 30,390 are currently classified as active or infectious. The country has also recorded a total of 559 deaths to date.
