Malaysia logs record high 24,599 new Covid-19 cases, 393 deaths in single day

Malaysia on Thursday (Aug 26) logged a double grim record of 24,599 new Covid-19 cases and 393 fatalities.
The total number of infections in Malaysia since the pandemic began has now hit 1,640,843 – the third highest in South-east Asia after Indonesia and the Philippines, countries with much larger populations.
The latest tally meant 15,211 people in Malaysia have died from the highly-infectious disease, the Health Ministry said.
There were also 100 ‘brought-in-dead’ cases, 50 of them Malaysians.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said on Thursday that 19,761 cases, or 80.3 per cent of the 24,599 cases were people who have not been vaccinated, or those who have not completed their vaccination.
“Get the Covid-19 vaccine to reduce the risk of serious infection,” he said in a statement.
He added that, similar to recent weeks, most of those infected on Thursday were in the Category 1 and 2 patients, or those with mild Covid-19 symptoms.
Of the 24,599 people infected, 97.3 per cent were placed under Category 1 and 2, and only 660 cases were in Categories 3, 4 and 5 that needed hospitalisation.
“This is in line with the vaccination programme that is being carried out throughout the country,” he said.
As of Wednesday (Aug 25), 59.1 per cent of adults in Malaysia have completed their vaccinations, and 80.3 per cent have received at least one dose.
Active Covid-19 infections stood at 265,841 cases on Thursday.
Currently, 990 patients are in intensive care, with 487 requiring ventilator support.