KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 29 new Covid-19 clusters today, with 19 of them linked to workplaces.

About a third of them collectively come from Kuala Lumpur (six) and Selangor (five).

Johor came in third with four new clusters while Kelantan and Negri Sembilan each added three new clusters.

Sabah, Pahang and Perak each had two new clusters.

Sarawak, Kedah and Labuan had one each.

Eight of the new clusters were from community transmission, according to the ministry’s data.

For the remaining two clusters, one was linked to a higher learning institution while the other to high-risk groups.

Total number of active clusters is now 855, taking the cumulative rate of clusters to 2,999.

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.

The MOH also 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.