Malaysia reports new daily high of over 6,000 COVID-19 cases

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian authorities on Wednesday reported 6,075 new coronavirus cases, a daily record as the country grapples with a surge in infections.

The figure breaks the previous high recorded on Jan. 30, when the health ministry reported 5,728 daily cases.

On Monday, Malaysia's health minister said the government may consider a total lockdown of the country's most industrial state of Selangor if current coronavirus curbs fail to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Selangor accounted for more than a third of Wednesday's caseload at 2,251 cases, according to ministry data.

Wednesday's figures push Malaysia's total cases closer to 480,000, the third highest number of infections in the region behind Indonesia and the Philippines. — Reuters