Health D-G: Covid-19 cases, clusters on the rise in Malaysia following reopening of schools
KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 — The Ministry of Health said today it detected a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases by 37.7 per cent for the week ending Saturday, April 1 last week after schools nationwide reopened.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the number of new cases went from 2,228 cases in the previous week to 3,069 cases, while nine new clusters have emerged.
“The increase in Covid-19 cases and clusters came following the reopening of the school session in the middle of March 2023.
“The increase is also caused by the public’s movement during the latest school holiday,” he said in a statement.
Covid-19 data from the week ending April 1, 2023 from KKMNOW portal.
Dr Noor Hisham said the number of admissions of Covid-19 patients and suspects to health facilities per 100,000 in the population also increased by 24.1 per cent.
Out of those, patients from Category 1 increased by 80 per cent, he said.
The ministry said out of 17 clusters that emerged since the start of the year, 11 of them were from educational institutions: three from colleges, one each from secondary religious school, boarding school and secondary school. Meanwhile, five more clusters involved tertiary educational institutions (four) and one from a childcare centre.
Schools nationwide reopened on March 19 and 20 last month.
