Healthcare workers collect swab samples to test for Covid-19 at the Selcare Clinic in Shah Alam June 24, 2021. — Picture by Miera Zulyana
KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 — The Ministry of Health (MoH) disclosed today that Pahang has the highest Covid-19 reproduction rate (R0 or Rt) as of yesterday, ahead of Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur.
The central state was among five nationwide that transitioned into a more relaxed phase of Malaysia’s lockdown measures to slow the spread of the infectious disease.
Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan, as it is known, kicked off yesterday. The other four states that have been placed on this list are Perlis, Perak, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Pahang’s Covid-19 reproduction rate was recorded at 1.24 last Saturday and dipped to 1.17 on Sunday before rising again to 1.24 Monday.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that Putrajaya’s Rt is at 1.17 followed by Kuala Lumpur at 1.10.
“The Covid-19 infectivity rate or R0/Rt based on estimation on daily cases on July 5 for the entire nation is 1.07,” Dr Noor Hisham said in a statement today.
Other states that recorded Rt above 1.00 are Selangor (1.09), Melaka (1.08), Kedah (1.08) and Penang (1.05).
Negri Sembilan recorded 0.99, Perak (0.95), Johor (0.93), Labuan (0.90), Sarawak (0.89), Terengganu (0.88) and Kelantan (0.81).
Malaysia saw a jump in its caseload overnight to 7,654 new Covid-19 cases today, pushing the cumulative number of cases to 792,693 since the disease broke out in the country last year.
Selangor continued to log the highest daily caseload today at 3,260, followed by Kuala Lumpur at 1,550 and Johor at 313.
However, its Rt value makes it the fourth highest nationwide.
Last Saturday, Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Perlis, Kelantan, Perak, Pahang and Terengganu are moving into Phase Two of the PPN from Monday after meeting the required thresholds.
The three indicators needed for the transition are the national daily average Covid-19 cases must drop below 4,000, the utilisation of beds in the intensive care unit should be at a moderate level and at least 10 per cent of the population should be fully vaccinated.