Covid-19 cases dropped 20 per cent in Epidemiological Week 29

PUTRAJAYA - The number of Covid-19 cases dropped by 20 per cent in the 29th Epidemiological Week (EW29/2023) from July 16 to 22 to 958 cases compared to 1,202 cases in the previous week.

The Health Ministry said the admission rate of Covid-19 patients, including suspected cases, to health facilities also dropped from 2.2 to 2.1 per 100,000 population in EW29/2023 compared to EW28/2023.

The utilisation rates of intensive care unit (ICU) and non-critical beds increased by one per cent respectively.

The ministry said a total of 61 new Omicron variants were reported, comprising 51 variants of concern (VOC) and 10 variants of interest (VOI).

"To date, the cumulative number of cases of the variant XBB.1.16 (Arcturus) and sublineages was 342 cases, including 341 local cases and one imported case,” it said in a statement today.

The ministry said 100 of the cases were reported in Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur (59), Melaka and Selangor (58 cases each), Penang (20), Johor (13), Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan and Putrajaya (six cases each), Kedah, Perak and Perlis (four cases each), Sabah (three) and Pahang (one).

The ministry said that, as of July 15, the surveillance of Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) for Covid-19 at sentinel locations across the country found that 32 ILI samples were detected as positive for Covid-19 with a positive rate of four per cent, while no SARI samples were detected positive for the infections nationwide.

Based on data up to July 24, only 50 per cent or 16,331,678 Malaysians had received the first booster dose and only three per cent or 825,059 people had received the second booster shot.

Meanwhile, the ministry said a total of 59 cases of heat-related illnesses were recorded from EW16/2023 (June 4 to 10) to EW29/2023, involving 33 cases of heat exhaustion, 20 cases of heat cramps and six cases of heat stroke.

The ministry said 15 of the heat-related cases were recorded in Sabah, Sarawak (15 cases), Kelantan (10), Melaka (six,) Pahang (four), Terengganu (three), Kedah and Perak (two cases each), and Kuala Lumpur and Perlis (one case each).

No new cases of death due to heat stroke were reported in EW 29/2023, which means there have been only two fatalities so far, it said. - BERNAMA