Kuala Lumpur, Mar 29 (IANS): A total of 34 people have died of the COVID-19 in Malaysia as of Sunday with 150 newly confirmed cases, bringing the total to 2,470, said the Health Ministry.
Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said at a press briefing that among the infections, 388 have been cured and discharged from hospital, while 73 are currently being held in intensive care and 52 of those are in need of assisted breathing, Xinhua reported.
"Of the 34 cases of COVID-19 related deaths recorded so far, 55.6 per cent were aged 60 and above while 67.6 per cent had chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and heart disease," he said.
Noor Hisham also said Malaysia has expanded its testing capacity to enable more people to be screened for the virus, while also appealing for medical volunteers to come forward to assist in efforts to manage the outbreak.