Covid-19 (April 20): 2k new cases for 6th straight day, K'tan sets new record

COVID-19 | The Health Ministry today reported 2,341 new Covid-19 cases and three deaths.

Malaysians comprise nearly all of the new Covid-19 infections (94.36 percent), indicative of foreign labour dependent industries no longer being the main source. 

The Klang Valley accounted for 37.85 percent (886 cases) of new cases while East Malaysia made up 29.18 percent (683 cases).

• Active cases: 21,268
• Patients in ICUs: 249
• Intubated: 95

Breakdown by states

This marked the third day in a row Sarawak reported the highest number of new infections with 600 cases.

Kelantan also recorded its highest number of new cases since the pandemic with 429.

In both Sarawak and Kelantan, the source of new cases was primarily from existing clusters and close contacts. 

Most parts of Kelantan are under movement control order (MCO) restrictions while interdistrict travel in most parts of Sarawak is still not allowed.

Kuala Lumpur reported 344 new cases, the highest in the territory since late February. Close to a third of those cases in Kuala Lumpur were found through "other testings", where new infections were not linked to existing clusters or close contacts. 

As of yesterday, the R-naught number for Malaysia stood at 1.17, up from a recent low of 0.81 as reported on March 8. 

An R-naught number of more than 1.00 signified that the spread of Covid-19 was increasing. The only regions with an R-naught number of less than 1.00 are Penang, Labuan, Putrajaya, Pahang, Perak and Perlis. 

Deaths

There was one Covid-19 death reported for Selangor, Sarawak and Sabah respectively. The national Covid-19 death toll stands at 1,389.

The age of the victims was between 65 and 75. Details of the victims are documented in Malaysiakini's Covid-19 tracker site.

Clusters

The Health Ministry said 340 clusters are still active, down from 421 clusters reported a month ago.

There were 67 clusters with new cases today and seven new ones classified.

Notably, two schools were involved in the Jalan Pasir Mas-Pohon Tanjung and Jalan Padang Lallang clusters.

Details of the new clusters are as follows:

Kampung Tengah Betong cluster
District(s): Betong in Sarawak
Locality/Source: Vicinity of Kampung Tengah, Betong
Cluster category: Community
First case: April 9, index case reported symptoms
Total infected: 15 out of 381 screened

Sungai Rian cluster
District(s): Meradong in Sarawak
Locality/Source: Vicinity of Sungai Rian, Bintangor
Cluster category: Community
First case: April 12, targeted screening
Total infected: 48 out of 119 screened

Jalan Meranti cluster
District(s): Hulu Selangor and Gombak in Selangor
Locality/Source: Social event at Jalan Meranti 3A/14, Bandar Baru Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor on April 10
Cluster category: Community
First case: April 15, index case reported symptoms
Total infected: 9 out of 50 screened

Taman Dato Senu cluster
District(s): Kepong and Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur
Locality/Source: Social event on April 10 at Taman Dato Senu, Kepong
Cluster category: Community
First case: April 20, index case reported symptoms
Total infected: 12 out of 55 screened

Jalan Pasir Mas-Pohon Tanjung cluster
District(s): Pasir Mas and Tanah Merah in Kelantan
Locality/Source: An education institution at Jalan Pasir Mas-Pohon Tanjung, Pasir Mas
Cluster category: Education
First case: April 14, index case reported symptoms
Total infected: 28 out of 46 screened

Jalan Padang Lallang cluster
District(s): Seberang Perai Tengah in Penang
Locality/Source: School at Jalan Padang Lallang, Bukit Mertajam, Seberang Perai Tengah
Cluster category: School/MOE regulated institution
First case: April 17, index case reported symptoms
Total infected: 9 out of 39 screened

Hala Kampung Jawa cluster
District(s): Timur Laut, Barat Daya and Seberang Perai Utara in Penang
Locality/Source: A factory at Hala Kampung Jawa 2, Kawasan Perindustrian Bayan Lepas, Barat Daya
Cluster category: Workplace
First case: April 5, targeted screening
Total infected: 23 out of 286 screened

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