PUTRAJAYA: Another 18 new Covid-19 cases have been reported in Malaysia, making it a total of 117 cases, one of whom just returned from Iran, says the Health Ministry.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (pic) said that as at noon on Monday (March 9), 18 new Covid-19 cases have been reported and all have been identified and separated for further treatment.

"The close contacts are being identified for investigation and sample taking," he said on Monday.

Dr Noor Hisham said that one of the patients - case number 101 - was a man who was in Iran from Feb 20 to 27.

He displayed symptoms on March 5, was confirmed Covid-19 positive on March 8 and was now receiving treatment at the isolation ward in Hospital Tuanku Jaafar in Negri Sembilan.

From the 117 cases, 19 cases were under the patient under investigation (PUI) category (suspected cases captured through screening), 96 were from close contacts and two from the Wuhan humanitarian assistance mission, he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said that two cases were reported to be in the intensive care unit on Sunday and still needed ventilators.

The cases from the second wave of patients from cases 23 to 117, only six had been reported among PUI and had travelled a travel history overseas, while other cases were from close contact.