CORONAVIRUS | A ninth Malaysian, a 48-year-old medical doctor, has succumbed to the Covid-19 virus.

In releasing the information, Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that the victim had not been a frontliner in the fight against the disease and that the condition was linked to his overseas travel.

"I am sad to inform you that there is one more new death case related to Covid-19 which has been reported to the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC).

"The ninth death case (Patient #890) is the first death case among healthcare staff involving a Malaysian citizen. He is a 48-year-old medical doctor attached to the Health Ministry and has a history of travel to Turkey" said Noor Hisham in a Facebook post.

The victim was admitted to Hospital Tuanku Fauziah, Kangar in Perlis on March 16 after experiencing symptoms of acute respiratory infection.

He was certified positive for Covid-19 on March 18 and was given respiratory assistance since March 19 after his health deteriorated.

"He was confirmed dead at 10.33am on March 22," Noor Hisham added.

Noor Hisham, however, emphasised that this infection case was not believed to be from the frontline or from working colleagues who treated Covid-19 patients. Rather, he said, the case was related to the patient's history of travel abroad.

On behalf of all service members of the Health Ministry, he expressed his deepest condolences to the victim's family.

To date, 1,183 people have tested positive for Covid-19, the highest number in South-East Asia, although Indonesia (with 38 deaths) and Philippines (with 19) both have more fatalities. 

An estimated 13,000 people worldwide have succumbed to the disease.

Keep up with the latest information on the outbreak in the country with Malaysiakini's free Covid-19 tracker.