Kuala Lumpur, Aug 5 (AP) Malaysia's daily coronavirus infections exceeded 20,000 for the first time Thursday, doubling in just three weeks despite a national lockdown.

The health ministry reported 20,596 new cases, pushing the country's total confirmed infections to 1.2 million.

Also Read | New Zealand Experiences Warmest June and July Since 1909.

Malaysia imposed a state of emergency to battle the pandemic in January, followed by a large-scale lockdown on June 1 but it has failed to curb the pandemic. Daily infections have continued to surge and breached 10,000 on July 13.

The worsening pandemic has sparked growing public anger at the government's perceived mismanagement of the crisis. Embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is facing growing calls to resign.

Also Read | Muharram 2021 in Iraq: From Date to Ashura Significance for Shia Muslims, Know Everything About the First Islamic Month.

On Wednesday, the health ministry approved the Moderna vaccine for emergency use as the government sought to ramp up its vaccination program. Nearly a third of the adult population in Malaysia has been fully inoculated.

Deaths rose by 164 to a confirmed total of 10,019. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)