KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — The Ministry of Health reported 135 deaths related to Covid-19 in the last 24 hours to surpass previous records.

The number of patients admitted into intensive care units as at noon today also hit a new high of 952, the MOH reported amid growing concerns about the highly strained public healthcare system.

Earlier Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said hospitals in the national capital, Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Labuan have exceeded their maximum limits in treating Covid-19 patients.

From the total number of Covid-19 ICU patients, 445 required breathing support.

The total number of deaths related to the coronavirus is now 5,903 while active cases are currently at 77,275 after 5,802 patients were discharged.

Malaysia recorded 8,868 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours — the second highest since the Ministry of Health reported 9,020 cases on May 29.

Selangor, accounting for nearly half the new cases, saw the number of cases surpassing the 4,000 mark for the first time, at 4,152.

Dr Noor Hisham said KL, Selangor, Labuan and Negri Sembilan showed an average of more than 37 daily Covid-19 cases per 100,000 and an average 2.6 per cent increase for the past week.

He warned that the health system in the four states will be paralysed if there is no reduction in the infection rates in the next few days.

The daily national average Covid-19 cases of 6,539 is still currently far from the 4,000-daily threshold target for the National Recovery Plan, MOH data showed.

Today’s high figures come despite tightened curbs since the start of May.

Selangor, KL and a few other states are now going into the first week of the enhanced movement control order, or the first phase of the National Recovery Plan.