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Showing posts with label Coronavirus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coronavirus. Show all posts

Saturday 22 May 2021

The colour blind virus ; Tighter MCO 3.0: 80% of govt staff, 40% of private sector to work from home

 

A healthcare worker holds a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine arranged at the University Hospital in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia, on Tuesday, March 2,2021. The first phase of the vaccine roll-out that will run through April involves about 500,000 frontliners comprising health-care, defense and security personnel, as well as teachers with co-morbidities, according to the government. Photographer: Samsul Said/Bloomberg

IS the coronavirus racist?

Of course not. The Covid-19 and its variants do not discriminate between race, creed or borders. They simply infect everyone indiscriminately, so the only defence is vaccines and social distancing.

But the handling of the pandemic has become intensely political along racial, class and national lines. To debate whether it should be called a China virus or an Indian variant is racist by implication. What matters urgently is how each individual, community or nation handles the pandemic. To distribute to the rich and powerful first before the poor and weak is discriminatory, but that is exactly what has happened in many countries.

The virus transmits through people. The epidemiologists suggest that minimising people travel and contacts would slow the transmission.

Those who care more about money object to shutting down the economy. Asians reacted more quickly by adopting masks and staying at home.

The West cared more about individualism and objected to masks, allowing the pandemic to get out of control.

But money and vaccines have begun to bring matters under control, except that if the coronavirus and its variants continue to spread in countries which cannot afford vaccines or can’t get enough supplies, no one is safe.

Thus, a microscopic virus has opened up the Pandora’s Box of almost all social divisions that were ignored and unaddressed. It is clear that science and technology, as well as competent organisation, plus mass cooperation would be the way to solve the pandemic.

But these three factors require trust that everyone should be protected justly.

The record so far shows that those governments which preach democracy, equality and rules-based order may be practising something rather different.

Why is it that in the United States, Pacific Islander, Latino and Black Americans have double the Covid-19 death rate than White and Asian Americans?

Israel is leading in the world vaccination rollout, and yet Palestinians have been slow to get vaccines. The UN Human Rights body has called the Israeli differential treatment of Palestinians “morally and legally unacceptable”.

Israel has illegally occupied Palestinian territory since the 1967 war, and even in the Holy Month, physically raided the Al Aqsa Mosque, sparking off the current conflict that has raged on in the middle of the pandemic.

This is not an equal fight. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed, including 64 children, versus 12 dead in Israel. More than 58,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been rendered homeless and Israelis have knocked out the only lab in the territory that processes covid tests.

An Arab-Israeli member of the Israeli Parliament has openly called the Israel action in Jerusalem as “ethnic cleansing”. The Israeli government can ignore world opinion because of the US’ strong backing.

The humanitarian crisis in Palestine is beyond a tragedy. But the Israel-Palestinian crisis shows how science and technology play a role in turning a David to a Goliath, switching the roles from victims of the Holocaust to become perpetrators of Occupation by might alone.

As geopolitical futurist George Friedman writes about “Gaza: Morality and Reality”, the moral question is extremely complex because both sides see themselves as victims.

In his geopolitical realist view, as long as Israel holds the greater military superiority, with the backing of the strongest military power of all – the United States – the conflict will not be resolved by anyone else.

This point is fully understood by the Israelis, who were scattered and not particularly powerful as a wandering people until 1947. But it was their brains and deep application of science and technology that overcame the Palestinian and Arab numerical superiority.

There are 1-2-3 options for the Israel-Palestine situation. If Israel-occupied territory were to be governed as one country, the demographics would favour the Palestinians with higher birth rates, so this solution was ruled out.

Logic suggests that perhaps a two-country solution of a separate Palestine and Israel state would be possible. The rest of the world supports this option, but the Palestinians are divided into the Fatah faction controlling the West Bank and the Hamas controlling Gaza. This creates a three-state possibility. Indeed, the greater the division between its enemies and their supporters, the more secure Israel’s position. This is classic “divide and rule” domination exercised by imperial colonials.

The Egyptian economist Samir Amin summed up this perennial Arab dilemma, commenting on the 2011 Arab Spring.

If it succeeds, then the Arab world will break out of the imperialist centre’s control. If it fails, then the Arab world will remain in “its current status as a submissive periphery, prohibiting its elevation to the rank of an active participant in shaping the world”.

Samir’s critique of Capitalism in the Age of Globalisation saw a capitalist centre comprising America, Europe and Japan, controlling a periphery of the rest.

This is achieved through five monopolies over technology, financial control, monopoly access to natural resources, media and communications, and weapons of mass destruction. The Israelis understood these perfectly and exploited them to achieve success and survival.

Thus, Israeli devotion to science and technology, military equipment, media and communications and their lobbying power playing guilt on the Eurocentric countries, ensure their dominance over the Palestinian and Arab opponents.

This is why faith or ideology alone will not control the pandemic, because it is through science and organisational power that domination continues over the weak and oppressed.

The Arab world may have physical control over much of the fossil-fuel natural resources, but as long as they remain technologically backward and divided, they will always be victims.

So, the coronavirus is not racist.

Guns do not kill people, people kill or dominate other people.

Friedman is right. Might decides geopolitical reality. For him and his ilk, morality is for the victim to complain and the victor to preach.

Those who do not learn from history will remain its victims.

Andrew Sheng comments on global affairs from an Asian perspective. The views expressed here are his own.

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Monday 22 February 2021

Covid-19 vaccines are here. Here's what you need to know to begin vaccination Feb 24, 2021

 

A nurse simulating giving a vaccine jab to a volunteer during the exercise at the Serian community hall. Ñ ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star

 


PETALING JAYA: With the arrival of the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines in Malaysia, many are eager to know what happens next and when they can get their shots.

To date, the country has bought 66.7mil doses of vaccines from five Covid-19 vaccine producers, enough to vaccinate 109.65% of Malaysia's population.

The vaccination is voluntary and will be provided free of charge to everyone living in Malaysia, including non-citizens.

The vaccine will only be offered to people aged 18 years and above, though this will be re-evaluated if needed.

Here are other key details about Malaysia's National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme:

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine obtained conditional approval from the Drug Control Authority (DCA) and the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) on Jan 8, 2021.

The remaining four Covid-19 vaccine candidates are still pending approval from the NPRA.

The vaccines from these five suppliers will be received in stages by Malaysia from February 2021, subject to NPRA approval.

Take the quiz below to know when you can expect to receive your vaccine:

Flourish logoA Flourish data visualization

You can register starting March 1, 2021 to receive the vaccine.

There will be five ways to register, namely through:

How old are you?

Choose 1 of the following

* The MySejahtera application

* A hotline that will be launched soon

* An outreach programme for rural and interior areas

* www.vaksincovid.gov.my

* Registration at public and private health facilities

Appointment details such as dates and vaccination centre will be provided via the MySejahtera application, phone calls or SMS.



Source link: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/02/21/interactive-covid-19-vaccines-are-here-here039s-what-you-need-to-know

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https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/02/20/khairy-china-made-vaccine-to-arrive-on-feb-27

Vaccination to begin Feb 24 | The Star
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/02/22/vaccination-to-begin-feb-24

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Tuesday 8 December 2020

South Korea urges vigilance as Covid-19 clusters emerge in third wave, boosts testing as coronavirus surge threatens ‘medical collapse’

South Korea has reported 38,161 cases, with 549 deaths.
South Korea has reported 38,161 cases, with 549 deaths.PHOTO: REUTERS

SEOUL (REUTERS) - South Korean authorities urged vigilance on Saturday (Dec 5) as small coronavirus clusters emerged in a third wave, centred in the Seoul area, with infections near nine-month highs.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 583 new coronavirus infections, down from the previous day's 629, which was the highest since a first wave peaked in February and early March.

After implementing tighter restrictions on Saturday, the government is to decide on Sunday whether to further tighten curbs in a country that had seen initial success through aggressive contact tracing and other steps.

Infections of the virus that causes Covid-19 averaged 487.9 this week, up 80 cases from the week before.

This wave of infections is different from the first two, which were driven by large-scale transmission, said KDCA official Lim Sook-young.

"The recent outbreaks are small, multiple and is spread in people’s everyday lives," Ms Lim told a news briefing. "Please keep in mind that the current wave is not limited to a specific group or place but may be around our homes, family and acquaintances."

Seoul accounted for 235 of the new infections. More than half of South Korea’s 52 million people live in the capital and surrounding areas.

Among Seoul’s small but widespread clusters, confirmed cases linked to a dance class rose by nine to 249 in less than two weeks, while 21 people tested positive in a cluster related to a wine bar.

Seoul launched unprecedented curfews on Saturday, shuttering most establishments and shops at 9pm for two weeks and cutting back public transportation operations by 30 per cent in the evenings.

Tighter restrictions would be a blow to Asia's fourth-largest economy, which reported a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 4.2 per cent in October, the highest since July.

The number of people seriously or severely ill with Covid-19 rose by five to 121, using more of the nation's swindling sickbeds, KDCA reported.

The health authorities said on Friday there were just 59 sickbeds immediately available for serious or severe cases and that the beds might run out in less than two weeks.

South Korea has reported 36,915 coronavirus infections and 540 deaths, the KDCA said.

South Korea to boost testing as coronavirus surge threatens ‘medical collapse’


SEOUL - South Korean President Moon Jae-in has urged the country’s authorities to undertake more efforts in tracking and tracing coronavirus infections.

This comes as tightened measures have failed to reduce the rate of daily infections.

The country reported 615 new Covid-19 cases on Monday (Dec 7), raising the total to 38,161. Health officials have warned that the number of new daily cases could spike to over 900 next week if the pace of infection continues.

New restrictions to be imposed from Tuesday include a ban on gatherings of 50 or more people and closure of some 130,000 infection-prone facilities.

In meetings with aides on Monday, Mr Moon called on the government to mobilise “every available personnel”, from civil servants to those in the military and police, to provide on-site support for epidemiological investigations starting this week.

He also stressed the need to set up more drive-through test centres and expand the operating hours of testing facilities to allow office workers and young people to go for testing more conveniently, according to the presidential Blue House.

The President also instructed officials to push for the use of rapid antigen tests that can produce results in just 15 minutes, as compared to the six hours the usual polymerase chain reaction (PRC) tests require.

“We have overcome the coronavirus crisis several times, but the situation now is more serious than ever,” he said, citing the worrying trend of increased asymptomatic transmission.

Mr Moon also warned that an “uncontrollable nationwide pandemic” could ensue if the country failed to curb the spread of the virus this time.

His message came as South Korea imposed another round of measures against the virus in Seoul and greater Seoul. From Tuesday, the social distancing level will be raised one notch to 2.5 - the fourth in a five-tier system - for three weeks.

This means banning gatherings of 50 or more people, even at weddings and funeral halls, and closing karaoke rooms and indoor sports facilities, which were previously allowed to run until 9pm.

Sporting events can no longer allow spectators, and religious activities must go online.

Elementary schools can only run at one-third capacity, while middle and high schools continue to conduct lessons online.

From Tuesday, the subway in Seoul will cut capacity by 30 per cent after 9pm, in line with the city’s plan to “stop Seoul” at 9pm to curb the worst bout of infections since March.

In place since last Saturday, the curfew also applies to malls, movie theatres, beauty salons and supermarkets.

Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said Seoul and greater Seoul are already in a state of “war” against the virus, as their daily infection figure surged to a nine-month high of 470 on Sunday, before dropping to 440 on Monday.

He also voiced concern over two consecutive days of 600-plus caseloads, noting that the number usually declines over the weekend as testing centres are closed on Sundays and operate only half a day on Saturdays.

“Unless we curb the spread of the virus... we will see an explosive spread of infections and the country’s medical system will falter,” he said.

But small businesses that had to cut operating hours or close completely are more worried about their bottom line.

Mr Alexander Kim, 46, whose indoor golf simulator club will have to close for three weeks, said his earnings this month is just a fraction of his rent and management fees.

“Winter is peak season for us but now we cannot even open for business,” he told The Straits Times. “I just hope the third wave will be over soon. Meanwhile, I can spend more time with family.”

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Thursday 3 December 2020

China makes steady progress towards coronavirus vaccines to market

 

Inactivated COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac produced by Chinese vaccine developer Sinovac Photo: Courtesy of Sinovac

 Chinese vice premier Sun Chunlan stressed a scientific and rigorous preparation is required for the mass production of Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccines during an inspection tour of vaccine production lines of some leading manufacturers in Beijing on Wednesday, the same day the UK became the first Western country to approve a coronavirus vaccine for widespread use.

Sun and State Councilor Wang Yong visited the National Institute for Food and Drug Control, and two leading vaccine producers Sinovac, National Vaccine & Serum Institute under Sinopharm in Beijing, the Xinhua News Agency reported late Wednesday.

The visit was seen as a prelude for the vaccine coming to market in a rigorous and scientific manner. Russia and the UK announced on Wednesday they will start mass vaccinations against the coronavirus next week.

Sun and Wang learned about COVID-19 vaccine research, visited production plants and checked preparation work, and fully affirmed the achievements of the vaccine developers.

Fourteen vaccines using five technology methods are in clinical trials and five vaccines are undergoing phase Ⅲ clinical trials. Emergency use, production preparation and other work are proceeding in an orderly manner.

Sun called for scientific and rigorous phase Ⅲ clinical trials to carry out review and approval work in strict accordance with laws, regulations and internationally recognized technical standards to ensure the safety and effectiveness.

She required Chinese companies prepare for mass production, strictly comply with laws, regulations, procedures and requirements on quality supervision and biosafety, improve the traceability system for vaccines, punish illegal activities for creating a favorable market environment.

Sun said it's necessary to formulate a vaccination distribution plan before the vaccines are made available to the public. The emergency use of the vaccine in high-risk groups, such as port workers and front-line supervisors, will be completed by the end of 2020, she said.

The UK's approval of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday paved the way for widespread uses of the vaccine. The first doses are already on their way to the UK, with 800,000 due to arrive in the coming days, Pfizer said.

Analysts said the UK and Russia's quick approval for widespread use of vaccine is mainly in response to new outbreaks that may get worse during the coming winter.

China is very likely to introduce its first officially approved vaccine for mass use in December, but whether it would be approved only for limited use is still under discussion, a Beijing-based immunological professor who asks not to be named told the Global Times.

The first vaccines to get approval are likely the inactivated vaccine candidates from either Sinovac or state-owned Sinopharm, said the professor, noting that other frontrunner candidates such as recombinant adenovirus vector vaccine would be slightly behind or approved for emergency use first.

The Global Times learned from the Sinovac's Brazilian partner Butantan Institute which is carrying out the phase Ⅲ clinical trials of the inactivated vaccine CoronaVac that the data from the trials have been sent to the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency. Sinovac told the Global Times that analysis of the clinical data will take some time.

Compared to China, vaccines are more urgently needed in the West, said a Shanghai-based vaccine expert. "The epidemic battle left many Americans desperate, let's hope President-elect Joe Biden will take human rights seriously and not follow in Trump's footsteps."

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No matter how successfully China has contained the spread of the coronavirus with all-out efforts and how the country has passed on its experiences of handling the pandemic to the world in a timely manner, some Western media has not given up its longstanding prejudices and ideological biases when looking back at the past year, after American broadcaster CNN came up with a so-called classified file on Tuesday in an attempt to sensationalize obsolete issues and mislead the world again. 

China's vaccines better suit Africa, LatAm due to 'lower costs, easier logistics'

African and some Latin American countries would prefer Chinese-developed inactivated vaccines, due to their competitive costs and easier logistics, to stop their pandemic crisis, said analysts in both the vaccine and drug transportation services.

 

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Sunday 1 November 2020

Covid-19: Current situation in Malaysia: updated daily

Alternate text 

 

These four exercises work multiple muscle groups and are easy, but enough, to start your strength-building journey.

     
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Monday 19 October 2020

Coronavirus survives on skin five times longer than flu

 

TOKYO, Oct 18 (AFP): The coronavirus remains active on human skin for nine hours, Japanese researchers have found, in a discovery they said showed the need for frequent hand washing to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pathogen that causes the flu survives on human skin for about 1.8 hours by comparison, said the study published this month in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal.

"The nine-hour survival of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus strain that causes Covid-19) on human skin may increase the risk of contact transmission in comparison with IAV (influenza A virus), thus accelerating the pandemic," it said.

The research team tested skin collected from autopsy specimens, about one day after death.

Both the coronavirus and the flu virus are inactivated within 15 seconds by applying ethanol, which is used in hand sanitisers.

"The longer survival of SARS-CoV-2 on the skin increases contact-transmission risk; however, hand hygiene can reduce this risk," the study said.

The study backs World Health Organisation guidance for regular and thorough hand washing to limit transmission of the virus, which has infected nearly 40 million people around the world since it first emerged in China late last year. - AFP 

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 vs. the Flu | Johns Hopkins Medicine





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Saturday 29 August 2020

Malaysia’s recovery movement control order (RMCO) extended until Dec 31,tourists still not allowed in







Coronavirus Update - Worldometer


KUALA LUMPUR: The recovery phase of Malaysia's COVID-19 movement control order (RMCO) will be extended to Dec 31 and tourists will remain barred from entering the country, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Speaking in a televised address on Friday (Aug 28), the prime minister said even though the number of new cases in the country has fallen, the virus is still raging globally. The RMCO phase was originally scheduled to end on Aug 31.

"I am aware that based on global developments, we will go through a lengthy period before the country can be completely free from the threat of COVID-19," he said.

"For now, the situation is controlled. However, if there is an increase in cases in certain locations, the government will take a targeted approach by implementing enhanced movement control order or targeted movement control order, as previously enforced in several locations."

He added: "This means that the government requires a legal mechanism to continue efforts to curb and control the spread of COVID-19. Hence, for the benefit of you all, the government has decided to extend the recovery movement control order until Dec 31, 2020."

He also emphasised that no individual will be excused from these laws and anyone who breaks the regulations will be punished.

Mr Muhyiddin expressed his support for the Ministry of Health (MOH) to increase the fines for those who break these laws, to twice or thrice the current amounts.

The prime minister also pointed out that the extension will ensure all parties adhere to the standard operating procedures and health protocols that have been outlined.

He added that foreign tourists are still barred from entering Malaysia during this period to prevent the spread of imported cases into the country.

READ: COVID-19 virus mutation that is '10 times' more infectious detected in Malaysia: Health director-general

Almost all sectors have been permitted to resume their operations, except for night clubs and entertainment outlets, the prime minister said.

All sporting activities are permitted, sans the presence of spectators or overseas participants, he added.

As of Friday, Malaysia reported a total of 9,306 COVID-19 cases and 125 deaths. Around 97 per cent of the patients have recovered.

A total of 10 new cases were detected on Friday, the MOH said.

READ: Commentary - With COVID-19 under control, the worst is over for the Malaysian economy


The MCO, first imposed on Mar 18 to control the spread of COVID-19, was previously extended three times until May 12.

It was initially enforced when the number of daily new cases saw an alarming three-figure spike. Under the MCO, domestic and international travel was barred, and people were encouraged to stay at home to break the infection chain.

After six weeks of economic inactivity, Malaysia eased into a “conditional MCO” beginning May 4,  allowing almost all economic sectors to reopen

Subsequently, controls continued to be lifted over time. Daycare centres, hair salons, beauty parlours, open markets and night markets were given the green light to reopen.

Malaysia later entered the RMCO phase from Jun 10, where almost all social, educational, religious and business activities, as well as economic sectors reopened in phases, with standard operating procedures to be adhered to. Interstate travel was also permitted while the country's borders remained closed. The current control order, which began on June 10, was due to expire on Monday.

Four months of efforts seemed to have paid off as Malaysia began to report mostly single-digit increase in daily new cases - and even zero local transmission on a few days - until new clusters emerged.

On the back of 13 new clusters detected during the RMCO phase, Mr Muhyiddin had earlier reminded Malaysians to comply with social distancing rules and warned the public not to be complacent.

On Aug 3, Malaysia's Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the wearing of face masks was compulsory in crowded public areas, including markets, supermarkets, tourist areas, cinemas and on public transport.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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Tuesday 25 February 2020

Interim premier Dr Mahathir back at work in Perdana Putra; fight cronyvirus?


PUTRAJAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has returned to his office at Perdana Putra amidst the political storm raging over the last two days.

The vehicle ferrying him was seen approaching the protocol gate here at 9.29am on Tuesday (Feb 25).

This comes a day after the 94-year-old Dr Mahathir resigned as Prime Minister, when the Yang di-Pertuan Agong accepted his resignation.

However, the King has consented for Dr Mahathir to continue running the country as interim Prime Minister until a new premier has been appointed and a new Cabinet formed.

Dr Mahathir is the only one from the Pakatan Harapan administration who is left after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong cancelled the appointments of all Cabinet members.

Aside from ministers, the duties of other members the administration including the deputy prime minister, deputy ministers and political secretaries ceased, effective Feb 24.

It is learnt that ministers have packed their belongings and left with them on Monday (Feb 24) night, following the announcement that the King had accepted Dr Mahathir's resignation.

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Pakatan Harapan govt collapses

 

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