Malaysia reports 3,573 new COVID-19 infections, 25 more deaths

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) — Malaysia reported another 3,573 new COVID-19 infections, as of midnight Friday, bringing the national total to 2,758,086, according to the health ministry.

A total of 343 new cases were imported, and 3,230 were local transmissions, data released on the ministry’s website showed.

Twenty five more deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 31,487.

About 3,988 patients have been released after recovery, bringing the total number of cured and discharged to 2,685,378.

There are some 41,221 active cases, 269 are being held in intensive care units and 163 of those are in need of assisted breathing.

The country administered 182,020 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, and some 79.6 percent of the population have received at least one dose, 78.4 percent have been fully vaccinated and 19.3 percent have received booster shots.

Meanwhile, Malaysia will temporarily suspend its Umrah pilgrimage nationals to Saudi Arabia from heading back to the country from Jan. 8, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said in a statement on Saturday.

Read more: Malaysia reports 2,897 new COVID-19 infections, 23 more deaths

Khairy explained that the decision was made due to the high number of imported cases from Saudi Arabia over the last 14 days, with a number of these Umrah performers testing positive for the Omicron variant.

“Umrah pilgrims are also likely to have been infected while in Saudi Arabia but still in the incubation period of infection-causing screening tests before leaving for Malaysia to turn up negative.

“The arrival of a large number of Malaysian Umrah performers, which is about 800 to 1,000 a day (using four special flights) further increases the risk of importation of COVID-19 cases and Omicron variant into the country,” the minister said.  Enditem