Covid-19: 2.49 million individuals tested in Malaysia

 

2,492,807 people have been screened since the Covid-19 pandemic began. - NSTP file pic

PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has tested close to three million people in the country for Covid-19 as of yesterday.

Its director- general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah revealed that 2,492,807 people had been screened since the pandemic began.

Malaysia's overall cases stood at 52,638 with 329 deaths, excluding the cases reported today.

"We still do mass testing, but it is a targeted population testing.

"We are maximising and optimising the testing protocols," he said during a special briefing on Covid-19 at the ministry here today.

He said the testing rate in Malaysia was relatively higher than some neighbouring countries.

According to statistics, it showed 76.40 tests per 1,000 population with cumulative positivity rate at two per cent, he said.

Compared to Thailand, it conducted 17.42 tests per 1,000 population with cumulative positivity rate at 0.3 per cent.

Malaysia's testing rate per 1,000 population, he said, was also better than South Korea (55.11), Japan (24.85) and Sweden (59.20) with the exception of Singapore (197.72), New Zealand (252.45) Australia (374.87), the United Kingdom (508.88) and the United States of America (516.98). - NST