KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 — The Health Ministry recorded 2,478 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours — the second lowest number of infections in a single day for this year.

The last time new infections were in this range was on January 17 when 2,342 cases were reported.

The latest number brings the total cumulative infections to 4,433,551 cases since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said ​​eight Covid-19 deaths were also recorded for the second consecutive day.

Two of them were brought dead to hospitals, he added.

"Selangor recorded five deaths, while Kedah recorded two. Melaka reported one death.

"There were no deaths reported in the other states and in the federal territories,” he said in a statement this morning.

Malaysia’s total death toll from the novel coronavirus currently stands at 35,507.

The 2,478 new cases reported today comprised  2,471 local cases and seven from overseas.

Active Covid-19 cases in the country as of midnight totals 68,007, with 1,809 people hospitalised.

Of this figure, 98 are in intensive care units (ICU), with 63 requiring respiratory assistance.

The ministry also reported 9,215 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Dr Noor Hisham said 143 new hospital admissions were recorded involving Covid-19 cases yesterday.

Of this, 67 cases were in Categories 1 and 2 while 76 were in Categories 3, 4, and 5.

Selangor had the highest number of new admissions with 26, followed by Perak (21) and Johor (18).

Dr Noor Hisham added that three new clusters were reported yesterday.

Malaysia’s Covid-19 infectivity rate currently stands at 0.73.