KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia reported 1,228 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, bringing the national total to 25,742.
Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah told a press briefing that 11 of the new cases were imported and 1,217 are local transmissions. Health authorities have also detected six new case clusters.
Another seven deaths have been reported, pushing the total deaths to 221.
Some 671 patients have been released after recovery, bringing the total cured and discharged to 16,555, or 64.3 percent of all cases.
Of the remaining 8,966 active cases, 92 are being held in intensive care and 31 of those are in need of assisted breathing.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who coordinated the implementation of restrictive measures, told a separate press conference that the movement restrictions implemented in the eastern state of Sabah will be extended till Nov. 9, due to the constant sharp rise of daily new cases in the state, with 889 reported on Saturday alone.
Among the restrictions are residents not allowed to leave their districts, except for medical emergencies and police approval is required in inter-district travel. The capital city of Kuala Lumpur and adjacent areas have been put under similar measures since the recent hike of cases.
The state of Sabah has been hit hardest recently. A state legislative assembly election in late September, which saw intense campaigning events and people moving between the state and other parts of Malaysia, further contributed to the spread of the outbreak. Enditem
