A medical staff member takes sample from a woman at a COVID-19 testing point in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 15, 2020. The number of COVID-19 cases in Malaysia totaled at 5,072 after 85 new cases were recorded, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday. The newly confirmed cases of 85 is the first time the number dropped to a double-digit for over a month. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Malaysia totaled at 5,072 after 85 new cases were recorded, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
The newly confirmed cases of 85 is the first time the number dropped to a double-digit for over a month.
Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said at a press briefing that 169 had been cured and discharged in the past day, twice more than new cases, making the total cured 2,647 or 52.2 percent of all cases.
Meanwhile, 56 are currently being held in intensive care and 32 of those are in need of assisted breathing.
One more fatality had been recorded, a 69-year-old man who had suffered from other health problems prior to being infected, pushing the total to 83 deaths, he said.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin said all major government examinations for primary and secondary school students had been either cancelled or postponed.
In a televised speech, Mohd Radzi said this would include the Certificate of Education, the national examination taken by all fifth grade secondary school students in Malaysia which would be pushed to 2021. It is one of the most important exams for students who want further studies in universities.
Schools in the country have been closed since March 14. The government has said schools will not immediately reopen even after the movement control order expires.
