Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah speaks during a press conference on Covid-19 in Putrajaya March 4, 2020. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 — The Ministry of Health (MoH) announced today that a whopping 39 new cases were reported as at noon today, bringing the total positive cases to 197.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the cases in the second wave to hit Malaysia were mostly reported from patients under investigation (PUI) at 52 cases, while the rest were from two major clusters of infection.

“From these new cases, 38 cases were identified among PUI and one from close contact,” he said in a statement.

“Up until now, four cases reportedly needed intubation and being treated in Intensive Care Unit. These cases have also been given anti-viral treatments.”

In comparison, during the first wave, only 22 cases were reported. From those, 12 were from PUI, eight from close contacts, and two from the humanitarian mission to bring back Malaysian citizens from the Hubei province in China.

All 22 cases have been cured and allowed to go home.

Dr Noor Hisham also said the MoH is running surveillance for Covid-19 by monitoring excluded or sporadic cases through patients of influenza-like-illness and severe acute respiratory infection, who do not have any travel history to affected countries or close contacts.

Latest update on COVID-19 on the Tabligh cluster in Seri Petaling mosque “public gathering”. MOH continues to detect isolate and treat this cluster. Indeed it’s a mammoth task and we hope for the best. pic.twitter.com/cNdpThPk2k — Noor Hisham Abdullah (@DGHisham) March 13, 2020

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As of today, a total of 756 samples have been tested, with three found positive.

“For now, the investigation found these cases were discovered among the tabligh gathering cluster,” he said.

Earlier today, health authorities have disclosed that estimated attendance at a religious event in Sri Petaling with confirmed Covid-19 cases was 60 per cent lower than what is now known.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah released an infographics that showed the attendance was as high as 16,000 people, up from the original figure of around 10,000.

The event he referred to is a ijtimak tabligh gathering at the Jamek Sri Petaling Mosque in Kuala Lumpur between February 28 and March 1.

Of the attendees, 14,500 were Malaysians and the rest were foreigners from around the region.

Locally, the attendees have been tracked to Negri Sembilan, Johor, Pahang, and Sabah.

Internationally, the event has already been confirmed to be the source of Brunei’s first confirmed Covid-19 infection, which has now spiralled to 25 cases in a matter of days.