PUTRAJAYA - Malaysia logged a record 39 Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday (May 12) and the highest daily cases in more than three months on the same day that the South-east Asia country went into a new lockdown.

The record-high death tally came just three days after a record 26 deaths were reported on Sunday. The Covid-19 death tally now stood at 1,761.

Malaysia recorded 4,765 new cases to bring the cumulative Covid-19 cases 453,222.

The two areas with the highest population density recorded the most number of cases in the last 24 hours.

Selangor state logged 2,082 cases while the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur 540, the Health Ministry's director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah said in his daily update on Twitter.

Sarawak state came in third with 405 new cases.

Malaysia has been battling a resurgence in Covid-19 cases in the past few weeks, with the authorities imposing its strictest movement curbs, called the movement control order (MCO), for 27 days starting on Wednesday, until June 7.

The authorities have warned that Malaysia's daily caseload could rise to between 6,000 and 7,000 cases by the end of the month with the new MCO.

The 4,765 cases logged on Wednesday were the highest daily tally since Jan 31 when 5,298 cases were recorded.