KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia reported 6,999 new COVID-19 infections, the health ministry said Sunday, bringing the national total to 565,533.
Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press briefing that four of the new cases are imported and 6,995 being local transmissions.
Another 79 more deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 2,729.
Some 5,121 patients have been released after recovery, bringing the total number of cured and discharged to 484,787 or 85.7 percent of all cases.
Of the remaining 78,017 active cases, 846 are being held in intensive care units and 419 of those are in need of assisted breathing.
The recent spike of cases has forced the Malaysian government to implement a two-week lockdown from June 1 in a bid to slow the spread.
In announcing the details of the lockdown, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Sunday that all sectors which are not categorized as essential will be closed, while emergency services and economic sectors involving food, transportation, public works and maintenance, communication and logistics being among those are allowed to operate. Enditem