KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 — Malaysia today recorded 21,072 additional Covid-19 cases, lower than the 22,802 reported yesterday.

The additional cases today bring the total recorded in Malaysia so far to 3,040,235.

As of yesterday, there were 2,846,713 Covid-19 patients who have so far recovered.

Today, an additional 5,724 patients recovered, bringing the total recovery rate in Malaysia so far to 93.8 per cent, or a cumulative total of 2,852,437.

Of the 21,072 new Covid-19 cases today, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said 0.41 per cent or 86 cases were in the more severe categories of three, four and five, while 99.59 per cent or 20,986 cases were in the less severe categories of one and two.

For the 86 Covid-19 patients in the categories three to five reported today, 22 were unvaccinated or had not completed their vaccination, 46 had yet to receive their booster vaccine dose and were at risk as their immunity levels against Covid-19 may have declined, 29 involved those aged 60 and above, and 29 had comorbidities.

Out of the 86 such cases, there were three who had to be admitted to the ICU and one requiring respiratory treatment.

Out of the 21,072 cases, the majority of it or 21,007 cases were locally transmitted (97.7 per cent Malaysians and 2.3 per cent non-citizens) while 65 were imported cases (29 Malaysians and 36 non-citizens).

Covid-19 patients who are in intensive care units (ICU) in Malaysia numbered 176 or 20.9 per cent of the Covid-19 ICU hospital beds capacity, and has now risen to 187 as of today (with 98 confirmed cases, while 89 are suspected cases, probable cases and cases under investigation).

Of these ICU patients, 109 currently require respiratory support, namely 47 confirmed Covid-19 cases, and 62 suspected cases, probable cases and cases under investigation.

While the daily number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia had hit the 10,000 mark on February 6 and had since then been rising at levels last seen months ago, the number of patients in ICUs and the number of deaths logged has been relatively lower.

The daily number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia had first crossed the 20,000 mark on August 11, 2021 with 20,780 cases, and the country had at that time 1,547 of such cases warded in ICUs and 332 deaths reported on that day.

On February 11, Malaysia’s new Covid-19 cases crossed the 20,000 mark with 20,780 cases recorded, the first time in months since September 10, 2021 when 21,176 cases were recorded. In comparison to August 11, 2021 however, Malaysia on February 11 had 158 cases in ICUs and less than 10 additional Covid-19 deaths logged.

ICU beds usage and hospitalisation reasons

Today, Dr Noor Hisham provided the latest statistics of hospital beds usage for Covid-19 patients in Malaysia as of February 12, with ICU hospital beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients hitting 54 per cent of the 46 such beds in Johor, while other states and the federal territories had usage levels below 50 per cent such as Kuala Lumpur (45 per cent of 22 Covid-19 ICU beds), Kelantan (44 per cent of 36 beds) and Selangor (34 per cent of 74 beds).

As of February 12, the national average length of stay in ICUs for Covid-19 patients in Malaysia is a median of eight days.

As for non-ICU hospital beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients, usage levels as of February 12 have hit 95 per cent of 1,069 beds in Selangor, 88 per cent of 340 beds in Kelantan, 88 per cent of 86 beds in Perlis, followed by Kuala Lumpur (77 per cent of 572 beds), Sabah (75 per cent of 1,417 beds), Johor (74 per cent of 1,320), and Perak (74 per cent of 554 beds).

Usage of non-ICU hospital beds dedicated to Covid-19 patients have hit 66 per cent of the 56 beds in Putrajaya and 51 per cent of the 512 beds in Penang, while usage levels in other states ranged from 19 per cent to 42 per cent.

As of February 12, there are 4,700 Covid-19 patients in hospitals, with the more severe categories of three, four and five accounting for 376 patients or eight per cent, while the remaining are those in the categories one and two.

In explaining why patients in categories one and two were hospitalised, Dr Noor Hisham said reasons ranged from medical emergency such as uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled non-communicable diseases such as diabetes or hypertension newly identified during inspection at Covid-19 Assessment Centres (CAC), caretakers for child or elderly patients, obstetric cases that require close-monitoring, immuno-compromised patients such as HIV patients or patients undergoing chemotherapy, admittance through emergency wards, children, dehydration, prolonged fever and fatigue, chronic diseases, no caretaker, and unsuitable conditions at home.