Wednesday, 18/03/2020 11:09 (GMT+7)
Malaysia on March 17th announced the first death from the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) outbreak.
Medical staff at the Kuala Lumpur international airport on February 4th (Photo: AFP)
According to authorities, the patient is a 60-year-old pastor at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Kuching, Sarawak state.
All 193 contacts of the deceased have been traced and are undergoing home quarantine.
The same day, Sarawak state recorded 11 more infection cases, raising the total in Malaysia to 553, the highest in Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, the Cambodian Health Ministry also confirmed an additional 12 infection cases in the country the same day, bringing the total to 24 so far.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the shutdown of all karaoke clubs and cinemas across the country in order to contain the spread of the epidemic.
Earlier on March 16th, Cambodia announced the closure of all public and private educational institutions./.
CPV/VNA