Recorded 9,671 Deaths, September Became The Deadliest Month During The COVID-19 Pandemic In Malaysia

JAKARTA - Malaysia recorded 9,671 deaths from COVID-19 in September, the deadliest month since the pandemic began, government data showed on Friday, although authorities said the increase was largely due to a delay in the entry of deaths from previous months.

The surge has pushed Malaysia's death toll to one of the highest per capita in Asia, even as new infections have slowed in recent weeks, amid an upgraded vaccination program.

The death toll in September accounts for more than a third of the 26,335 total COVID-19 deaths reported in Malaysia, which has recorded more than 2.2 million infections, the third-highest number in Southeast Asia.

Health Ministry officials said the number of reports of deaths had been delayed by several months, due to an increase in infection cases that overwhelmed hospitals and laboratories, causing a spike in the number of reports.

The ministry in September began releasing daily data according to the time of death, as well as the date of their reporting, in a bid to increase transparency and remove the backlog.

Although Malaysia reported a daily average of 322 COVID-19 deaths in September, actual daily deaths fell to 89 on Thursday based on a seven-day rolling average, data showed.

Authorities have pledged to reduce delays, by imposing a time limit on hospitals to confirm the cause of death.

The previously unreported deaths represent a systemic gap, even though Malaysia has one of the fastest vaccine launches in Southeast Asia, University of Malaya infectious disease expert Adeeba Kamarulzaman told Reuters, quoted October 1.

These include uneven vaccination rates across states, inadequate monitoring of COVID-19 patients in-home quarantine, as well as limited access to health care among undocumented migrants, he said.

"Many of the migrant population lack information about the disease or are afraid to come to the hospital if they are caught", Adeeba explained.

Malaysia also has high rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, especially among young adults who are vaccinated later, which increases the risk of contracting a severe COVID-19 infection, he added.

To note, about 62 percent of Malaysia's 32 million population have received the complete COVID-19 vaccine, including 86 percent of adults. Meanwhile, the vaccination program for teenagers aged 12-17 years started last month.