KUALA LUMPUR: The number of new COVID-19 cases in the country still exceeds the 5,000 mark with a total of 5,713 cases recorded today, bringing the total number of positice cases to 2,492,343.

However, the number of recovered cases showed a slightly higher figure at 5,865, bringing the cumulative number of recoveries to 2,396,244 as of 12 noon today.

Health director-general, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a statement, said that 98.4 per cent of the 5,713 new COVID-19 cases were categories one and two while the rest were categories three, four and five.

"Out of the total daily cases recorded, 289 of them involving foreigners. Meanwhile, 555 cases required treatment at the Intensive Care Unit, with 280 of them requiring respiratory assistance," he said.

Dr Noor Hisham also said that five new clusters were identified today, namely, in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan and Johor.

He added that the COVID-19 infectivity rate (Rt) nationwide today is 0.94, with Putrajaya recording the highest Rt rate of 1.07, while Labuan recorded zero infection rate.

Other detailed information on the current situation of COVID-19 infection and transmission in Malaysia will be uploaded on the COVIDNOW website at https://covidnow.moh.gov.my and the data will be updated at 12 midnight daily.

-- BERNAMA