PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK ) - A 70-year-old Malaysian man is the latest victim to die of coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 11, said Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah on Monday (March 23).

Posting on his Facebook, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham said the man had a history of chronic diseases.

He had travelled to Indonesia in February this year.

He was also the chairman of his local surau (Muslim prayer house).

He showed symptoms of the disease a week before he was admitted into Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM in Selangor last Wednesday.

"He was confirmed to be Covid-19 positive one day later and was placed on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)," said Dr Noor Hisham.

However, the man's health deteriorated and he died on Sunday at 9.05pm.

There were 123 new cases of the coronavirus as of Sunday, raising the total to 1,306.

The majority of the cases are linked to the Tabligh missionary group gathering at a mosque in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur between Feb 27 and March 1.