PUTRAJAYA, April 3 — A total of 217 new positive COVID-19 cases were reported as of noon today, bringing the total number of cases in Malaysia to 3,333, said Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He said of this number, 58 were connected to the tabligh assembly cluster in Masjid Seri Petaling.
He added that the total number of deaths also increased to 53, with three new cases today.
“The 51st death (case number 2561) was that of a female Malaysian aged 84 with a history of heart disease. She was treated at the Sungai Buloh Hospital on March 12, and then sent to the National Heart Institute. She was confirmed dead on April 2, 2020 at 1.07 p.m.
“The 52nd death (case number 2122) was that of a local man aged 52 who was treated at the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital in Negeri Sembilan on March 18, 2020 and confirmed dead on April 3, at 7.55 a.m.,” he said in the daily press conference on COVID-19 at the Health Ministry today.
Dr Noor Hisham said the 53rd death (case number 2034) was that of a female Malaysian aged 73, with a history of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problem and kidney problem.
He said the woman was treated at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Perak on March 24 and confirmed dead at 9.30 a.m. on April 3.
Dr Noor Hisham also conveyed the good news that the cumulative total of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 infections in Malaysia increased today to 827 cases or 24.81 per cent of the total number of cases, after 60 more patients fully recovered and allowed to be discharged from hospital.
He said to date, 108 positive COVID-19 cases were being treated in the intensive care units (ICU), with 54 requiring respiratory assistance.
He added that 44 cases had been admitted into Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), including 41 which are connected to the tahfiz school in Selangor.
For the record, the Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM is among the 40 hospitals which have been designated to treat COVID-19 patients.
Commenting on the positive development of the number of cured cases, Dr Noor Hisham urged the public not to have a negative perception of those who have been cured, but to give them moral support.
“Learn from their fighting spirit to recover, the Health Ministry hopes that they will be a source of inspiration to other patients and to society to be optimistic at a time when the country is facing the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
