The spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Klang Valley is due to the loosening of restrictions, among others.

Health deputy director-general (public health) Dr Chong Chee Keong, in a press conference today, cited three factors that contributed to the situation.

"The upward trend is caused by the easing of movement restrictions and the reopening of the more economic sectors in the Klang Valley.

"The second and third factors are the transmission of the Delta variant, as well as the Hari Raya Aidiladha celebrations on July 20," Malaysiakini quoted Chong, who is also the head of the Greater Klang Valley Task Force, telling a press conference earlier today.

It is worth noting that on July 7, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) allowed more companies in the manufacturing sector in Selangor to resume operations. Days later, the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) was also discontinued.

According to Chong further, between 80 and 100 brought-in-dead (BID) cases from COVID-19 are reported every week, most of which involve people who have no history of undergoing tests for the virus. Most of them are non-Malaysians.

"Some 80 per cent of the BID cases involved those who either never had access to COVID-19 screening or never came forward to be tested," the portal quoted him saying.

Meanwhile, Selangor Health director Dr Shaari Ngadiman told the same press conference that more than half (54 per cent) of Selangor's COVID-19 infection clusters from July 1 to 31 were from the manufacturing sector, followed by the services sector (12 per cent), construction sites (10 per cent), and businesses (seven per cent).

Community-related outbreaks made up merely five per cent of the total cases, he added.

Today, a record high of 20,889 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, bringing the number of total infections in the country to 1.22 million cases. The Klang Valley contributed to more than half of the new infections.


Source: Malaysiakini
Photo source: Astro Awani