PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has identified 21 new Covid-19 clusters nationwide, of which 11 are workplace-related.

       The workplace clusters comprise three each in Kedah and Penang, two in Selangor, and one each in Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Perak.

       Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said among the worst-hit clusters was the Dah Batik Industri cluster in Sungai Petani, Kedah, where 35 cases were detected after 103 were screened.

       In the Dah Lima Industri cluster, also in Sungai Petani, 34 positive cases were reported after 182 people were screened for Covid-19.

       In Selangor, 23 cases were detected in the Industri Balakong Empat cluster after 71 were screened, while another 13 cases were detected in the Perusahaan Selesa Jaya industrial cluster after 67 were screened.

       There were also 31 cases detected in the Kampung Telok Kemang workplace cluster in Johor after 43 were screened and in Perak, eight cases were detected at the Jalan Industri Enam Jelapang cluster after 163 were screened, he said in a statement yesterday.

       Dr Noor Hisham said there were also nine clusters classified as community outbreaks, among them the Seri Semarak cluster in Kuala Lumpur where 72 tested positive after 705 were screened.

       Among the other community clusters was the Nahaba 2 cluster in Sabah, where 27 cases were detected after 136 screened; and the Dah Tanjung Setol cluster in Kedah, where 31 cases were detected after 161 were screened.

       There was also a high-risk cluster in Jalan Residensi, Penang, where 29 cases were detected after 127 people were screened.

       As at yesterday, there were a total of 887 active clusters nationwide.

       Dr Noor Hisham said 6,983 new cases of Covid-19 were reported yesterday, bringing the number of active cases up to 65,434.

       Selangor topped the list again with 2,885 new cases, followed by Kuala Lumpur (988), Negri Sembilan (692), Sarawak (544), Melaka (311), Johor (270), Kedah (250), Sabah (232), Pahang (195), Penang (174), Perak (149), Labuan (129), Kelantan (108), Terengganu (50), Putrajaya (10), and Perlis (one).

       There were also 84 deaths reported, comprising 46 in Selangor; six each in Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan, and Johor; five in Sabah; four each in Sarawak and Melaka; three in Labuan; two in Pahang; and one each in Terengganu and Putrajaya.

       Among those who died in Selangor was a 90-year-old lady with no comorbidities, an 80-year-old man with diabetes and high blood pressure, and a 23-year-old man without any chronic illness.

       There were also nine cases classified as “brought in dead”, including a 42-year-old man in Selangor with high-blood pressure and stroke, and a 74-year-old lady in the same state with diabetes and high blood pressure.

       The 84 deaths bring the death toll to 5,252 victims, said Dr Noor Hisham.

       He also said there were 5,580 new recoveries yesterday, and urged the public to exercise caution even if they have been vaccinated.