KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — The Health Ministry today recorded 1,113 new Covid-19 cases, up from the 941 reported a day earlier.

Yesterday daily cases fell below the 1,000 mark, for the first time since December 9 last year. 

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement today said Selangor accounted for the highest number of cases today, rising from 219 yesterday to 401 today.

The latest data brings the number of cumulative cases detected in the nation since the start of the pandemic to 344,018. 

Meanwhile five deaths and 1,148 recoveries were recorded — the death rate is at 0.37 per cent, and the recovery rate at 95.5 per cent.

Dr Noor Hisham said eight of the new cases today were imported, comprising two Malaysians and six non-Malaysians.

Of the locally transmitted infections, 781 involved Malaysians, and the remainder were non-Malaysians.

“The five who died today were Malaysian men, aged between 34 and 88, and had records of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension,” he said. 

On the cases detected in Selangor today, Dr Noor Hisham said 335 were from existing clusters and active Covid-19 close contact screenings.

Cases in Selangor were followed by Penang (194 cases), Sarawak (153 cases), Johor (96 cases), and Kuala Lumpur (53 cases).

Areas that recorded cases in the single digits were Melaka with six cases; Terengganu with two cases; along with Labuan, Putrajaya and Perlis with one case each.

Dr Noor Hisham added that there are 161 Covid-19 patients currently being treated in intensive care units (ICUs), with 76 of them needing breathing aid. 

Nine new Covid-19 clusters were also recorded, comprising three in Selangor, two in Johor, two in Sabah, and one each in Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan.