Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said all but five of the new cases were local transmissions, with the imported cases found from two Malaysians and three foreigners who arrived from the Philippines (two), Singapore (two), and Nepal (one). — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Malaysia’s new Covid-19 cases and deaths rose again today, with Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reporting 972 more infections and eight deaths since yesterday’s briefing.

The deaths — all recorded in Sabah — were double the number reported yesterday and brought the country’s death toll to 294.

All but five of the new cases were local transmissions, with the imported cases found from two Malaysians and three foreigners who arrived from the Philippines (two), Singapore (two), and Nepal (one), he said.

"Malaysia recorded 1,345 cases of Covid-19 recoveries. This brings the cumulative recoveries from Covid-19 to 29,579 cases (or 71.8 per cent of the total),” Dr Noor Hisham said today.

The country’s Covid-19 cases to date was now 41,181 cases, 11,308 of which were active.

"The state with the highest daily cases is still Sabah with 370 cases, followed by Negri Sembilan with 260 cases, and Selangor with 137 cases,” Dr Noor Hisham said during his daily press conference.

Other states with new infections today include Perak with 51 cases, Penang with 34 cases, Kedah and Johor with eight cases each, Melaka with five cases, Sarawak with four cases and Kelantan with two cases.

The three federal territories of Labuan, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya recorded 63, 20 and five cases, respectively.

There are 86 Covid-19 patients being treated in intensive care units, 31 of whom required ventilators.

The deaths today included a one-year-old Malaysian boy with a history of heart problems, Down syndrome, and hypothyroidism.

The other deaths were of four men and three women aged between 51 and 73, two of whom were foreigners. They had pre-existing conditions such as hypertension, heart problems and stroke.