PHOTO / WORLD
Malaysia reports highest daily new COVID-19 cases, 49 more deaths
By Xinhua Published: May 24, 2021 11:07 AM
A medical worker takes a swab sample from a woman for COVID-19 test in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, May 23, 2021. Malaysia on Sunday reported 6,976 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, bringing the national total to 512,091, the health ministry said.(Photo: Xinhua)

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a woman for COVID-19 test in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, May 23, 2021. Malaysia on Sunday reported 6,976 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, bringing the national total to 512,091, the health ministry said.(Photo: Xinhua)


 
A medical worker takes a swab sample from a woman for COVID-19 test in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, May 23, 2021. Malaysia on Sunday reported 6,976 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, bringing the national total to 512,091, the health ministry said.(Photo: Xinhua)

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a woman for COVID-19 test in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, May 23, 2021. Malaysia on Sunday reported 6,976 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, bringing the national total to 512,091, the health ministry said.(Photo: Xinhua)


 
A medical worker takes a swab sample from a girl for COVID-19 test in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, May 23, 2021. Malaysia on Sunday reported 6,976 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, bringing the national total to 512,091, the health ministry said.(Photo: Xinhua)

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a girl for COVID-19 test in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, May 23, 2021. Malaysia on Sunday reported 6,976 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, bringing the national total to 512,091, the health ministry said.(Photo: Xinhua)


 
People in protective suits carry a coffin of a COVID-19 victim at a graveyard in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia, May 23, 2021. Malaysia on Sunday reported 6,976 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, bringing the national total to 512,091, the health ministry said.(Photo: Xinhua)

People in protective suits carry a coffin of a COVID-19 victim at a graveyard in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia, May 23, 2021. Malaysia on Sunday reported 6,976 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, bringing the national total to 512,091, the health ministry said.(Photo: Xinhua)


 
Malaysia on Sunday reported 6,976 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, bringing the national total to 512,091, the health ministry said.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that five of the new cases are imported and 6,971 are local transmissions.

Malaysia is now under a nationwide movement control order till June in a bid to contain the outbreak. However, the measures have so far failed to curb the rising trend of new daily cases, which has put the country's medical system under great strain, forcing the government to announce further restrictive measures on Saturday.

Noor Hisham urged the public to follow the restrictive measures and impose "self-lockdown" to help fight against the pandemic.

Another 49 deaths were also reported on Sunday, pushing the total deaths to 2,248.

Some 3,587 more patients have been released after recovery, bringing the total cured and discharged to 452,821, or 88.4 percent of all cases.

Of the remaining 57,022 active cases, 681 are being held in intensive care units and 361 of those are in need of assisted breathing.