PUTRAJAYA, May 19 – The number of COVID-19 cases increased by 14.8% to 1,230 cases in the 20th Epidemiological Week (EW 20/2024) from May 12 to 18, according to the Health Ministry (MOH).
In a statement on Sunday, MOH said no COVID-19-related fatalities have been recorded since April 25.
Regarding the admission of COVID-19 patients to healthcare facilities during the week, it said the occupancy rate of non-critical beds increased slightly from 0.08% to 0.10%, while the ICU bed occupancy rate decreased from 0.17% to 0.04%.
“MOH continuously monitors the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia and globally. Following the recent wave in Singapore, which saw a two-fold increase in cases in the week of May 5 to 11, the ministry has heightened preparedness measures to address potential increase in cases in Malaysia,” it said.
According to MOH, the variant currently circulating in Malaysia remained the Omicron variant and its subvariants.
It said that there has been one case each of KP.2.1 and KP.1.1 reported since March 2024, both are part of the Omicron family.
“Specifically, they are sublineages of JN.1.11.1. On May 3, the World Health Organisation listed KP.2 as a Currently Circulating Variant Under Monitoring (VUM). However, this variant has not led to severe infections in those affected,” it added.
