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KUCHING, Aug 8: Sarawak has reported the highest count of Covid-19 cases, recording 100 out of 695 cases in Malaysia during Epidemiology Week 31 (EW31) spanning from July 31 until Aug 5.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) reported that Selangor followed closely with 76 cases, while the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur had 64 cases.
Melaka accounted for 58 cases, Penang (26), Johor (13), Negeri Sembilan and Terengganu (8 each), Putrajaya (6), Kedah (5), Perak and Perlis (4 each), Sabah (3), while Kelantan and Pahang each reported a single case.
In the preceding week, a total of 93 new Omicron variant cases were documented, with 75 cases classified as variants of concern (VOC) and 18 cases categorised as variants of interest (VOI).
Up until now, there have been a cumulative total of 377 cases involving Acturus (XBB.1.16) and its sublineages, out of which 376 were locally transmitted, and only one was imported.
MOH said that the number of reported Covid-19 cases for this week has shown a decline of 25.6 per cent compared to the 934 cases reported during EW30 (from July 23 to 29).
The rate of Covid-19 patient admissions to public health facilities, encompassing suspected cases, remains at 2.2 per 100,000 residents for EW31, as compared to EW30.
In the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), hospital bed usage stands at one per cent, while non-critical Covid-19 bed occupancy is at seven per cent.
In the lead-up to EW30, surveillance efforts for influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) related to Covid-19 in sentinel locations across the country yielded 18 positive ILI samples for Covid-19, with a two per cent positive rate.
Additionally, 60 SARI samples were collected, reflecting a three percent positive rate.
Based on data available up until Aug 8, only 16,326,951 individuals in Malaysia, which constitutes 50 percent of the population, have received their first booster dose, while the second booster dose has been administered to only 824,746 individuals, amounting to three percent of the population.
The MOH underscores that the risk of hospitalisation and severe symptoms can be diminished by receiving the booster dose.
Furthermore, the MOH strongly recommends that the public consistently wear face masks, particularly when symptomatic or when present in enclosed and crowded spaces, as this serves to safeguard not only themselves but also their families and others in their vicinity against Covid-19 transmission. — DayakDaily
