This is a round-up of Covid-19 related matters in Malaysia and globally from July 11 up to 12.30pm yesterday. In Malaysia, case numbers have exceeded 8,000 and globally, the virus has infected nearly 14 million people and caused over 590,000 deaths. More than 200 countries and territories are affected by the pandemic.
BY MELATI MOHD ARIFF
KUALA LUMPUR: New Covid-19 cases this week remained in single-digit figures except for Sunday (July 12) when 14 were reported.
Yesterday, three new cases were recorded, on Wednesday five, Tuesday four, Monday seven, Sunday 14 and Saturday eight.
The highest number of imported cases was recorded on Monday, that is six, involving two Malaysian citizens and four non-citizens who were either permanent residents or allowed into Malaysia on work-related matters.
Yesterday, one imported case was reported; on Wednesday one, Tuesday four, Monday six, Sunday three and Saturday four.
According to Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, between April 3 and July 16, a total of 683 Malaysian citizens and permanent residents returning from overseas were tested positive for Covid-19.
As for recoveries, the highest number was reported yesterday (12 cases), bringing the cumulative total of discharged cases to 8,538 which translates to a recovery rate of 97.7 percent.
With three new cases reported over 24 hours up to noon yesterday, the total number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia now stood at 8,737. There are now 77 active cases.
After having reported no new Covid-19 fatality since June 9, Malaysia recorded one more death on Saturday (July 11), bringing the death toll to 122 (1.39 percent of total cases).
Currently, three patients are being treated in the intensive care unit with one of them requiring respiratory aid.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A new cluster, namely Mambong cluster, has cropped up in Sarawak after two confirmed cases involving a Malaysian and a non-citizen were detected at a company in Mambong yesterday.
Dr Noor Hisham told a media briefing yesterday that 70 individuals identified as close contacts of the cases are currently undergoing screening. Cleaning and disinfection works are also being carried out at the premises of the company concerned.
On Monday, Dr Noor Hisham announced a new cluster, dubbed Novgorod cluster, in Melaka involving three positive cases. The first case was a Malaysian student who tested positive for Covid-19 upon his return from Russia on July 5. As of Tuesday, the cluster had recorded five positive cases, one of whom is in the intensive care unit at Hospital Melaka.
To date, 60 clusters have officially ended, including Malaysia’s biggest Seri Petaling cluster which recorded 3,375 cases and 34 deaths.
This week on Tuesday, the second Kuala Lumpur construction site cluster drew to an end. This cluster recorded 73 cases involving 72 migrant workers and a Malaysian.
WHO AND GLOBAL SITUATION
World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in his Covid-19 media briefing on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland, reiterated that the Covid-19 virus remained the number one enemy of the public.
However, he said, the actions of many governments and people did not reflect the graveness of the situation.
He warned that the Covid-19 pandemic would not end if governments failed to roll out comprehensive strategies to stem the transmission of the disease and if people failed to observe social distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask in appropriate situations.
If the basics are not followed, the pandemic is going to get worse, he said, adding that the situation will improve if every government and individual play their part to break the Covid-19 chain of infection. He also said that there “will be no return to the old normal for the foreseeable future”.
Dr Tedros also told the briefing that on Sunday (July 12) alone, 230,000 new Covid-19 cases were reported to WHO, with 10 countries accounting for almost 80 percent of them.
WORLDWIDE STATISTICS
According to CoronaTracker (which cites figures from various agencies including WHO), the total number of Covid-19 cases worldwide at the time of writing this article stood at 13,946,641 with 592,677 deaths. The total number of recoveries stood at 8,277,743.
The United States continues to head the list of badly-hit nations with 3,695,025 cases (3,220,500 cases at this time last week) and 141,118 fatalities.
Brazil is on the second spot with 2,014,738 cases and 76,822 fatalities. India is on the third spot with 1,005,637 cases and 25,609 deaths. Russia is fourth with 752,797 cases and 11,937 deaths.
Another 18 countries have recorded cases exceeding 100,000, namely
Peru 341,586 cases (12,615 deaths), South Africa 324,221 (4,669), Mexico 324,041 (37,574), Chile 323,698 (7,290), Spain 305,935 (28,416), the United Kingdom 292,552 (45,119), Iran 267,061 (13,608), Pakistan 257,914 (5,426), Italy 243,736 (35,017), Saudi Arabia 243,238 (2,370) Turkey 216,873 (5,440), Germany 201,836 (9,157), Bangladesh 196,323 (2,496), France 173,838 (30,138), Colombia 173,206 (6,029 ), Argentina 114,783 (2,112), Canada 109,264 kes (8,827) and Qatar 105,477 (152).
China, where the outbreak was first reported at end-December 2019, is now on the 25th spot with 83,622 cases and 4,634 deaths.
In Southeast Asia, Indonesia has the highest number of cases at 81,668 and 3,873 deaths. The Philippines is on the second spot with 61,266 cases and 1,643 deaths. Singapore has reported 47,126 cases and 26 deaths.
Thailand has 3,236 cases (58 deaths), Vietnam 381 cases (0), Myanmar 339 cases (six) and Cambodia 166 (0)
No new cases were recorded this week in Brunei (141 cases and two deaths) and Laos (19 cases and no death).
COVID-19 BACKGROUND
According to the WHO website, its China country office was informed of cases of pneumonia that were detected in Wuhan on Dec 31, 2019. On Jan 7, the Chinese authorities confirmed that the novel coronavirus can be transmitted from human to human.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-COV).
A study of the virus’ genetic sequence suggested similarities to that seen in snakes and bats. China health officials identified the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan as the source of the transmission of the coronavirus.
On Feb 11, WHO announced the official name of the virus, Covid-19, which is an acronym for coronavirus 2019 — CO stands for corona, VI for virus and D for disease.
On Jan 30, WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global emergency. By then, it had spread to 18 countries and caused 170 deaths. On March 11, Covid-19 was declared a pandemic by WHO.
WHO has described the Covid-19 outbreak as 10 times more dangerous than the A H1N1 Influenza, also known as Swine Flu.
Swine Flu, which occurred between January 2009 and August 2010, infected more than 1.6 million people and caused 18,449 fatalities.
The International Monetary Fund has warned that the global economic recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic will be worse than the Great Depression of the 1930s. – Bernama
