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Key Highlights

• A new height of 11,079 Covid-19 cases
  
  
• Klang Valley's new health task force
  
  
• Zahid axes another detractor
  
  

A new height of 11,079 Covid-19 cases

The Covid-19 pandemic reached new heights in Malaysia, as the country recorded 11,079 cases yesterday (July 13) - the first time the number of cases breached five digits.

Selangor, the worst-hit state, recorded 5,263 cases.

The death toll now stands at 6,385, with 125 new fatalities yesterday.

Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the Klang Valley was currently being ravaged by the Delta variant of the virus. However, he remained optimistic that cases would fall once 40 percent of the population has been vaccinated.

The vaccination rate for the Klang Valley, including Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Selangor as of July 12, was 11.1 percent of the population.

For trends on daily cases, tests, hospital beds capacity, vaccination progress and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.

HIGHLIGHTS

	204 staff at IDCC PPV are Covid-19 positive Those recently vaccinated there are urged to take precautions.
	MP calls for testing of all PPV staff This can be done either by rapid tests or home-test kits.
	Faster greenlight for WHO-approved vaccines MOH also recognises vaccines approved by the US, EU.

Klang Valley's new health task force

The government has set up a new task force to deal with Covid-19 in the Klang Valley, as the pandemic wreaks havoc on the local healthcare system.

The task force has been given the mandate to make “quick decisions” on behalf of the Health Ministry to mobilise resources to provide relief for the healthcare system.

Health Minister Dr Adham Baba also announced a second slew of reinforcements for Klang Valley hospitals, including almost 700 more beds for Klang Valley hospitals.

Meanwhile, the Stadium Melawati Covid-19 Assessment Centre (CAC), which has been inundated with new patients to process, will get more personnel and an extra lane for discharged patients with “release orders”.

The Selangor Health Department also assured that the Taman Sri Andalas CAC would be better managed to reduce anxieties and the risk of cross-infection - after residents voiced concerns about the long lines of Covid-19 patients outside their homes.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Klang Hospital: PM vows 'help on the way'  Additional 151 beds for mother and child care delivered.
	Experts moot revision of CAC strategy So many positive patients in one place is a 'big no-no'.
	Ignorance leads to at-home deaths Imaret cites lack of knowledge on subtle Covid-19 red flags.

Zahid axes another detractor

As internal tensions in Umno continue to roil, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has made a move to axe another detractor.

This time, supreme council member Tajuddin Abdul Rahman was removed as Umno election director and replaced with deputy president Mohamad Hasan.

Tajuddin was among those who spoke against withdrawing support for Muhyiddin during an Umno supreme council meeting on July 7.

Previously in January, Zahid removed Annuar Musa as the BN secretary-general. In April, he removed Shahidan Kassim as the Perlis Umno head.

Tajuddin was a Zahid loyalist but the move may see the Pasir Salak MP side with his rivals, such as Shahidan and Nazri Abdul Aziz, with whom he had previously sparred in defence of the Umno president.

HIGHLIGHTS

	'It could be an Ismail Sabri government' Tajuddin: DPM can show Umno controls the govt.
	Pejuang and Warisan shun PN 'We will not cooperate with Bersatu and PN.'
	Anwar submits motion to debate EO This is to ensure that Parliament plays its role.

• Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz dismissed allegations that the white flag aid campaign signalled Malaysia was becoming a failed state.
  
  
• International Trade and Industry Minister Azmin Ali's children denied they were in Turkey with him on a work trip.
  
  
• The Malaysian Medical Association condemned police investigations targeting healthcare workers who supported its campaign for the plight of contract doctors.
  
  
• The World Health Organisation said rich countries should not be ordering booster shots for their vaccinated populations while other countries have yet to receive Covid-19 vaccines.
  
  
• Then Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng and businessperson Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli held a confidential discussion with businessperson G Gnanaraja at 2am in 2017, said a witness in Lim's corruption trial linked to the Penang undersea tunnel project.
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

	Harapan wants lockdown reset 'Stop using sledgehammer to kill flies.'
	Grilled over post on PM's SOP compliance Home Ministry lodged police report against activist.
	'What about durian farms on tiger habitat?' Pahang rep cries hypocrisy over 'double standard'

What are people saying?

	Let me take you on a grand tour of Istanbul By James Chai
	Why healthcare students need to be vaccinated By Malaysian Healthcare Students Alliance
	Bersih not an NGO drunk on heroism By Thomas Fann

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