SEPANG (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia has recorded another 12 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the country's tally to 129.

The newly-minted Health Minister Adham Baba said the 12 new cases were close contacts of Patient 33.

"We were able to track these cases through our contact tracing process," said Dr Adham to reporters on Tuesday (March 10).

He said that so far, 25 patients who were treated for the coronavirus in the country have been discharged from hospital.

He was speaking during a work visit to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to monitor the screening process of passengers for the virus at the terminal.

Dr Adham said there are a total of 150 ministry officials on duty around-the-clock at the terminal to conduct the screening process.

"We do not just have officials here. There are people on duty at other international airports as well as at the country's land and sea entry points," he said.

Dr Adham advised Malaysians to practise their own "social distancing", such as avoiding crowded areas and events as well as refraining from physical contact.

He even demonstrated how to greet another person by placing the palm on the chest, as opposed to shaking hands.

A medical doctor by profession, Dr Adham was sworn in as the Health Minister a few hours earlier at a ceremony held at Istana Melawati in Putrajaya.

After the ceremony, he went straight to the Health Ministry and was briefed on Covid-19 developments before heading to the KLIA in Sepang.

Also present were his new deputies Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali and Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang.