Malaysia hit record daily high of 287 coronavirus cases since the first infection was detected in January, bringing the total number to 11,771 cases, the Health Ministry said Friday.
The country has seen a surge in the COVID-19 cases, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, mainly in Sabah state in Borneo and northern Kedah state in Peninsular Malaysia.
"Today the country recorded 287 new COVID-19 positive cases, the highest daily cases ever recorded since the beginning of the pandemic," Director General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement.
"The rising trend is what the Health Ministry is worried about and has warned everyone to take caution," he added.
More than 80 percent of the cases reported Friday were detected in Kedah and Sabah.
Kedah is hit by an outbreak that originated from a prison there, while cases in Sabah are mostly spread from a detention center housing illegal migrants.
However, the spike in travel to and from Sabah for last Saturday's state election has seen the virus spreading throughout Peninsular Malaysia.
According to the statement, since Sept. 20, there have been 139 cases reported in Peninsular Malaysia of patients with history of traveling to Sabah.
No new deaths were reported Friday, leaving the country's total at 136.
