Malaysia hits new daily Covid record as Omicron surge continues

Muhamad El Hayyan, six months old, reacts as a medical worker takes his swab sample at a coronavirus disease testing station, as the Omicron variant of the virus spreads and becomes the dominant variant, in Shah Alam, Malaysia, Feb 8, 2022. (Reuters file photo)

Malaysia’s new coronavirus cases reached a record high, exceeding the level seen last year when the nation was in the throes of the Delta wave.

The country reported 27,831 new daily infections on Wednesday, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, data from the health ministry show. That was the most since the previous record on Aug 26, when daily cases hit 24,599.