7,478 new Covid-19 cases reported every day, Malaysia has the highest daily increase in infection

Noor Nathasyeena binti Seth

nnathasyeenaseth@gmail.com

26 May 2021

Malaysia reported 7,478 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday (May 26), the highest daily increase in infections since the pandemic began.

With Malaysia's daily Covid-19 cases setting a new high, health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah warned that the next two weeks are crucial, as the worst could still happen.

Following a steady increase in new cases, he said the Malaysian public should be prepared for the worst.

"The increase in cases began on April 1 and could lead to a vertical increase. We must be ready for the worst. Staying at home will be of great assistance to us. Only by working together can we break the infection chain "He said it in a tweet yesterday.

In the event of an emergency or attendance at work, Dr. Noor Hisham advised the public to stay at home and follow the SOPs.

The Health Ministry has discovered 12 new cases of the B1351 variant from South Africa in Kedah, Perlis, Selangor and Johor. It also discovered a new case in Labuan involving the B1617 variant from India.

"Taking into account the global pandemic situation and the emergence of variants of concern in the community, the third movement control order has been implemented," said Dr. Noor Hisham.

Analysts claim the nationwide vaccination drive needs to be accelerated immediately as the numbers continue to rise.

M. Subramaniam, president of the Malaysian Medical Association, believes that private healthcare facilities should be enlisted to help speed up the process by allowing them to obtain vaccines.

According to Zainal Ariffin Omar, president of the Malaysian Association of Public Health Physicians, the 7,289 new cases reported on Tuesday do not reflect the true number of infections in the community, which could be much higher.

"This is because asymptomatic people don't usually go for testing," he explained.

"The best thing the people (rakyat) can do right now is forget about everything and go into self-lockdown mode."

Dr. Zainal went on to say that, like in the United Kingdom and Singapore, delaying the second dose of Covid-19 vaccinations had reduced the incidence of new cases.

"The government is serious about ramping up its vaccination drive to fight COVID-19. " Health Minister Adham Baba said when contacted.