Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said 170 individuals tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infections to 4,987.
On a brighter note, 202 patients recovered from Covid-19, more than the 168 recorded yesterday. This brings total recoveries to 2,478.
The latest deaths were a 63-year-old man, a 65-year-old man, a 74-year-old woman, an 81-year-old man and an unidentified man believed to be a foreigner.
The 74-year-old woman and 81-year-old man had had close contact with a Covid-19 patient who attended the tabligh gathering.
The four Malaysians also had a history of illness, ranging from kidney and heart disease to high blood pressure and diabetes.
The foreigner was found dead in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on April 6.
Noor Hisham said the ministry has taken 573 samples from individuals in Jalan Masjid India, the latest area to be placed under the enhanced movement control order (EMCO).
He said the results would be available in 24 hours.
On the number of Covid-19 clusters, he said there were 28 at present, with the largest being the Sri Petaling cluster. The rest, he said, were “small”.
He said the ministry will set up five additional labs to increase its Covid-19 testing capacity. Currently, there are 43 such labs.
The new labs will be in Tawau and Sandakan (Sabah), Miri and Bintulu (Sarawak) and in Kluang, Johor.
Noor Hisham said Malaysia should be at the forefront when it comes to producing personal protective equipment (PPE), whose supply is a common concern in the battle against the pandemic.
He noted that 63% of the global glove industry is based in Malaysia, making the nation the largest producer. Therefore, he said, Malaysia should be self-sustainable when it comes to producing PPEs.
“When it comes to PPEs, we should be the one taking the lead if we have a role to play,” he said.
He said Malaysia should also look into how it can produce N95 face masks for domestic consumption and export.
Noor Hisham said the ministry will rationalise the usage of PPE by its health workers according to its guidelines.
“We are looking at a way to ensure that those who need PPEs use them. I hope the frontliners will look at the guidelines, otherwise everyone will be using PPEs, even in areas where they are not needed,” he said.
He said the current stock of PPEs could last between 19 and 78 days. Stocks of three-ply and N95 masks will last for 47 and 37 days, respectively.
Noor Hisham, however, noted that the shortage of PPEs was a global issue.
There has been a surge in the usage of PPEs at the ministry’s facilities, he said, adding that it was procuring PPEs in bulk at federal and state levels to ensure sufficient supply
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST DATA ON THE COVID-19 SITUATION IN MALAYSIA
Fake or not? Check our quick fake news buster here.