KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 — Malaysia achieved better outcome in treating Covid-19 patients as compared to the United Kingdom and Italy due to its different approach in handling the patients who are tested positive, said Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Dr Noor Hisham said it is compulsory for patients who tested positive in Malaysia to be admitted to hospitals unlike in those two countries, where they are instead advised to stay at their respective home.

"The main duration is 14 days, but we need to do the test and if it is still positive, then we will make sure the patient remains in the hospital.

"This is something different from the United Kingdom and Italy. Patients who are tested positive, asymptomatic and mild symptoms are advised to stay at home there,” he told a press conference this evening.

Dr Noor Hisham said this when asked to respond on the status of national hammer thrower Jackie Wong Siew Cheer, who has been hospitalised for nearly a month after testing positive for the infection.

He said that patients in Malaysia will be isolated in the hospitals once they were tested positive of the infection.

"This is also the reason why our asymptomatic and mild symptom patients are about 88 per cent (in the hospitals).

"And because of the close monitoring and treatment given in the hospital we got to see a better outcome,” he said.

Earlier, Dr Noor Hisham announced that more than half of the Covid-19 patients in Malaysia have recovered and been discharged from the hospitals.

He reported 169 more recoveries today, bringing the total to 2,647 cases or 52 per cent of all cases detected.

Malaysia recorded 85 new cases today, which is the lowest for new cases for the first time since the movement control order was enforced on March 18, bringing the total cases to 5,072.