Malaysian Virus Cases Jump Most in Over 2 Weeks After Sabah Vote

(Bloomberg) --

Malaysia saw the highest daily surge in coronavirus cases since Sept. 11, with most of them reported in the state of Sabah a day after local elections.

The Southeast Asian country confirmed 150 new infections on Sunday, according to the health ministry, with 124 reported in the Borneo state. There was one additional death, also from Sabah, raising the tally to 134.

The spike in cases comes a day after polls wrapped up in Sabah, where the nation’s ruling coalition continued its streak of victories to win the key opposition state amid challenges to Muhyiddin Yassin’s premiership. The election was dogged by politicians testing positive for the virus as the state became the new epicenter of Malaysia’s outbreak.

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The health ministry also reported the emergence of two new Covid-19 clusters in the state, and one in Kuala Lumpur. At least 15 of those who newly tested positive in other states were returning from Sabah, according to the ministry.

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