Malaysia reports spike in imported COVID-19 cases

Malaysia reported 94 new COVID-19 cases, most of them being imported cases of locals returning from overseas, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said at a press briefing that 72 of the 94 new cases were Malaysians returning from Indonesia, with the remaining 22 cases being local transmissions.

The new cases pushed the national total to 5,945, of which 1,758 are active cases. Another 55 had been released, bringing the total cured and discharged to 4,087 or 68.7 percent of all cases.

Noor Hisham added that of those still receiving treatment, 40 are in intensive care and 18 of those are in need of assisted breathing.

No new deaths had been reported, keeping the total fatalities due to the disease at 100.

Under the Malaysian government's current Movement Control Order, all Malaysians returning from overseas are required to be quarantined for 14 days in designated locations, and foreigners are mostly denied entry.