KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 — The Ministry of Health has logged 5,566 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours.

The latest figure represents an increase from yesterday’s 4,774 infections after a two days streak of recording below 5,000 mark.

It also brings the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country, since the start of the pandemic, to 2,876,324.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah also disclosed that only 51 or 0.9 per cent of cases reported today were in Categories 3, 4 and 5 that required hospitalisation.

"There are currently 113 patients being treated in intensive care units, of which 23 are suspected, probable or under investigation for Covid-19.

"Out of these 114, 59 need ventilators to help them breathe, including 40 who are confirmed as Covid-19 positive,” he said.

He added that seven new clusters were also detected over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of active clusters in the country to 318.

He said that Malaysia’s rate of infection currently stands at 1.15, with Kedah being the state with the highest infectivity rate, at 1.17.