KUALA LUMPUR, 13 April — The Health Ministry recorded 1,767 new Covid-19 cases today, bringing the total number of cases recorded locally since the beginning of the pandemic to 363,940 cases.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah further revealed that with 607 new cases today, Sarawak recorded the highest number of new Covid-19 cases among the states and Federal Territories, for the second day in a row.

Yesterday, cases in Sarawak surged to 351, past the 303 cases in Selangor, prompting Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba to promise that 500 medical staff would be mobilised to the East Malaysian state in response.

Today, Selangor recorded 483 cases, followed by Kuala Lumpur (133 cases), Sabah (117 cases) and Kelantan (103 cases).

The remaining states and two federal territories recorded fewer than 100 cases today;  Putrajaya had seven while Labuan chalked up three.

Dr Noor Hisham said 12 Malaysians succumbed to the disease in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 1,345 people.

A 37-year-old woman from Sarawak with the autoimmune disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, was recorded among the deceased.

The remaining deceased were aged from 42 to 88, comprising seven women and four men; three of whom were from Sarawak, four from Sabah, three from Selangor and one from Terenganu.

Dr Noor Hisham also said that 199 Covid-19 patients across the country are in intensive care, with 82 of them needing breathing assistance.

The total number of Covid-19 cases recorded in Malaysia since the beginning of the pandemic is at 346,295; with the recovery rate standing at 95.2 per cent and the death rate at 0.37 per cent.