He said the average number of daily cases had been falling, together with the number of clusters and usage of hospital capacity, while the vaccination rate remained high.

He said key indicators, such as the number of deaths and the number of patients receiving intensive care, had recorded a consistent decline since the last week of August, Bernama reported.

There was a 23.5% decline in the number of infected cases, a 21% decline in the total number of active cases, and the number of deaths reported had fallen by half.

However, he warned the people against becoming complacent. “We must learn from the previous sudden increase in Covid-19 cases that had crippled various economic and social sectors,” he said.

ICU occupancy rate falls in Penang

The number of patients admitted to intensive care units in Penang has fallen, together with the number of infections, said Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow.

He said there had been an 85% drop, according to federal government data. A total of 101 ICU beds are in use for Covid-19 patients, comprising 69 beds at Penang general hospital and 32 at Kepala Batas hospital.

New infection cases had also fallen to less than 600 cases.

Chow said Penang could transition to Phase 3 of the national recovery plan once ICU usage drops to 50%.

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