KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian health authorities on Saturday reported 44 new COVID-19 deaths, the highest daily fatality rate so far, while new infections remained above 4,000 for the fourth straight day.

The health ministry said in a tweet that 4,140 new coronavirus cases were reported on Saturday, pushing the total past 466,000 with 1,866 deaths - the third highest infection rate in the region behind Indonesia and the Philippines.