Malaysia, Philippines Report Record Daily COVID-19 Infections

Malaysia and the Philippines reported a record number of daily coronavirus cases on Friday as a deadly wave of the highly contagious Delta variant storms through Southeast Asia.

Malaysia’s single-day figure jumped to a new high of 23,654, pushing the nationwide tally past 1.51 million, according to official figures.

Selangor state led the daily count with 6,974 infections, followed by Sabah with 2,738 cases, Health Ministry data showed.

In the Philippines, 17,231 new cases – the country’s highest single-day figure – raised the total infections above 1.8 million.

At least 317 more fatalities were also reported in the country, taking the death toll to 31,198.

The cumulative virus tally in the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has now surpassed 9 million, including nearly 200,000 fatalities.