Number of virus cases on the increase in Malaysia

(6 Oct 2020) Some residents of Kuala Lumpur were on Tuesday increasingly dissatisfied with their government's handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, as the number of confirmed cases continue to rise. Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is self-quarantining after a Cabinet minister he was in contact with tested positive for the coronavirus, as new cases in the country hit a record high. Muhyiddin had chaired an Oct. 3 meeting attended by Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, who confirmed Monday he has been hospitalized for treatment. The health ministry has warned that Malaysia is facing a new wave of virus cases as the outbreak has widened in recent days. New clusters have sprung up in many states amid increased travel to eastern Sabah state, a hotspot zone, for a state election last month. New virus cases hit a record daily high of 432 on Monday, bringing Malaysia's tally to 12,813 with 137 deaths. Nearly half were from a prison in a northern state, and 130 were in Sabah. Muhyiddin, who took power in March after a political coup, said in a statement that he underwent virus testing every two weeks since April. But since returning from campaigning in Sabah, he had tested three times since Sept. 22 and all were negative. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...