KUALA LUMPUR: Seven new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Malaysia on Tuesday (Mar 3), bringing the national total to 36 cases.



Two are receiving treatment at Hospital Kuala Lumpur while five others are warded at Hospital Sungai Buloh.





All seven new cases are Malaysians who were close contacts of Case 26, including a paramedic who provided treatment, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

The seven cases were identified through contact tracing and are currently all in stable condition, the ministry added.



NEW CASES

Case 30 is a 38-year-old man who travelled to Australia on Feb 12 before returning on Feb 16. He did not previously exhibit any symptoms and only underwent tests as a result of contact tracing, subsequently testing positive on Mar 2.



Case 31, who is in his fifties, had no history of overseas travel. The man reported having symptoms on Feb 26 before he was approached through contact tracing efforts. He tested positive for COVID-19 on Mar 2.

Case 32 is a 43-year-old woman with no history of overseas travel. She reported onset of symptoms on Feb 27 and tested positive for the coronavirus on Mar 2.

Case 33 is a 58-year-old man who travelled to the city of Kuching in the state of Sarawak to attend a meeting on Feb 16. The man tested positive on Mar 2.

Case 34 is a 40-year-old Malaysian man who worked as a hospital paramedic. He previously provided assistance to Case 26 and had no history of overseas travel. The man and tested positive on Mar 3.



Case 35 is a 50-year-old woman who travelled to Australia on Jan 31 before returning on Feb 16. She tested positive for the coronavirus on Mar 3.

Case 36 is a 49-year-old man who visited Egypt on Jan 23 before returning on Feb 1. The man did not experience any symptoms and subsequently tested positive on Mar 3.

The Health Ministry said contact tracing for Case 26 is still ongoing.

The ministry previously said that Case 26, a 52-year-old man, visited Shanghai in mid-January.

He had a fever and sore throat on Feb 27 and received outpatient treatment at a private hospital on the same day. He later tested positive on Feb 29 and was warded at Sungai Buloh Hospital.



In a separate update, the Health Ministry said 18 of the 36 confirmed cases were Malaysian. A further 15 patients are Chinese nationals while three cases are from other countries.

Investigations revealed that 17 of those cases were close contacts while two contracted the coronavirus from a "humanitarian mission".

As of Tuesday, more than 80,000 people in mainland China have been infected by the coronavirus, with 2,943 fatalities.

The disease first emerged in December in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, before spreading to more than 60 countries.

New cases are now surging globally even as they continue to fall in China, with the World Health Organization warning that the world has entered "uncharted territory".

Terkini #COVID19 di Malaysia, 3 Mac 2020.



Terdapat tujuh (7) kes baru positif menjadikan 36 kes setakat ini.



Ini menjadikan 14 kes sedang dirawat di Hospital Sg Buloh dan HKL manakala 22 discaj.



Kesemua mereka dalam keadaan stabil.



Kenyataan penuh KKM menyusul. — KKMalaysia🇲🇾 (@KKMPutrajaya) March 3, 2020

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