KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 ― Covid-19 cases in the country continue to rise in the past 24 hours as Malaysia recorded 31,490 new infections, jumping 4,634 cases from yesterday's 26,856.

This brings the total number of cases recorded since the pandemic started in the country to 3,680,953 cases.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said 79 deaths were also recorded today, including 19 that died before they could seek treatment at hospitals.

Johor continues to be the state with the highest number of fatalities per day, with the state recording 16 deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.

This is followed by Perak and Kedah, with 13 deaths each, and Selangor, with 11 deaths.

The remaining states that recorded new deaths are Pahang (five), Sabah (five), Kelantan (four), Melaka (three), Penang (two), Sarawak (two), Kuala Lumpur (two), Putrajaya (two) and Negri Sembilan (one).

Perlis, Terengganu and Labuan did not record any deaths today.

Dr Noor Hisham said that of today 31,490 cases, only 175 are in categories 3, 4 and 5 ― which require hospital treatment, while the remaining cases are all in categories 1 and 2, which only require self-isolation.

He added that there are currently 373 patients nationwide currently being treated in intensive care units (ICU), with 153 confirmed to have Covid-19 while the remaining either suspected, probable or under investigation for the deadly disease.

Of that, Dr Noor Hisham said that 223 patients require ventilators for breathing assistance, with 94 of them being Covid-19 positive patients and the remaining under investigation for Covid-19.

The national rate of infection currently stands at 1.07, with Sarawak being the state with the highest infectivity rate, at 1.36.