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Khairy in his Twitter update said bookings will be open tomorrow, May 2, 12noon at vaksincovid.gov.my.
KUALA LUMPUR (May 1): Applications for the AstraZeneca vaccine will be open tomorrow from 12 noon for those in KL and Selangor, said Khairy Jamaludin on Twitter today.
“As previously announced, JKJAVMY (Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supple) is offering an opt-in choice for people who want to take the AstraZaneca vaccine.
“Bookings will be open tomorrow, May 2, 12noon at vaksincovid.gov.my,” he said in an update on Twitter.
Yesterday, the minister who is in charge of procuring Covid-19 vaccines for the country said those who want the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine do not need to submit a new registration via MySejahtera. – Malay Mail
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Lin and Lisha (pic) are being investigated by Balinese authorities over the controversial video. — Screengrabs via Facebook/JoshPalerLin
JAKARTA (May 1): A pair of social media influencers will be booted from Bali over a prank video that featured one sporting a painted-on virus mask that broke Covid-19 rules.
Authorities on the Indonesian resort island said Friday that they would deport US-based Taiwanese YouTuber Josh Paler Lin and Russian influencer Leia Se over the stunt that went viral.
In the video, Lin expresses surprise that few people seem to notice Se walking around a Bali supermarket with the painted-on blue mask.
She applied the make-up after store security initially turned away the maskless Russian.
The clip sparked outrage in Bali, where virus cases and deaths have been climbing.
Foreigners can be hit with a fine of one million rupiah ($70) for not wearing a mask in Bali and face deportation for the second offence.
But authorities decided to boot out the pair over their prank.
“We plan to deport them,” said Jamaruli Manihuruk, head of Bali’s legal and justice office.
“It has to wait until flights to their respective countries are available — hopefully soon.”
Lin, 32, who regularly posts prank videos to his 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube, has already deleted the clip and apologised.
“I made this video to entertain people because I’m a content creator and it is my job to entertain people,” Lin said in an online apology.
“However, I did not realise that what I did could actually bring a lot of negative comments,” he added.
In another case, Bali police have said they are hunting for a Russian porn star and her boyfriend over a racy video they recorded at a sacred mountain on the Hindu-majority island.
The video went viral after it was uploaded to a porn website.
It was unclear if the pair were still on the island. – AFP
A medical worker inoculates a colleague with a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi. — AFP photo
NEW DELHI (May 1): India’s devastating Covid surge accelerated further today with more than 400,000 new cases recorded in 24 hours, as it opened its faltering vaccination programme to all adults.
Indian authorities lowered their guard in the early part of the year after infections fell, lifting restrictions on most activity and allowing mass religious and political gatherings to take place.
Less then two months after the health minister said India was in the “end game” of the pandemic and New Delhi sent millions of vaccines abroad, the surge has sent worried Indians rushing for the jabs still in the country.
A crowd of around 100 people formed outside one Delhi hospital on Saturday as a hospital attendant came out regularly to call out numbers to people who had booked.
“There are so many people that are getting sick and if we get better we ensure that other people… do not get infected so we just wanted to be here as soon as possible,” said one of those waiting, Aadya Mehta, 25.
Following the recent surge, exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine by India’s Serum Institute and of Bharat Biotech’s homegrown Covaxin have now been frozen to prioritise India’s needs.
Until now, only “frontline” workers like medical staff, people over 45 and those with existing illnesses have been given vaccines.
But even this more modest programme has stumbled, with some areas running out of shots and others throwing them away because of a lack of demand, in part because of the recent surge.
“The queues here are so colossal,” said Jayanti Vasant as he waited for hours at a busy vaccination centre in Mumbai this week. “The people are just fighting amongst themselves.”
So far around 150 million shots have been administered, equating to 11.5 percent of the population of 1.3 billion people. Just 25 million have had two shots.
On Saturday the programme was expanded to all Indians over 18, equating to around 600 million people, even though many states said they have insufficient stocks to do so.
Millions of younger people terrified by the current situation and desperate to get inoculated registered on the government’s digital platform.
But very few of them have been given appointments and only half a dozen of India’s 28 states began vaccinating people under 45, and in many cases only a token scale.
Further confusion has been created by New Delhi’s decision to ask states and private hospitals to order vaccine supplies on their own, creating a three-tier pricing system that requires them to pay more per dose than the central government.
This has led to squabbles between the central government, run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, and states governed by opposition parties.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that some private clinics have been told they won’t receive any vials for months.
“The whole thing looks like a confused elephant to me right now,” said T Jacob John, a retired clinical virology professor at the Christian Medical College Vellore.
“Do you want to control the epidemic, save lives or both? If you want both you’ll require a huge amount of vaccines. And we don’t have it,” John told AFP.
He and other experts say that given the shortages, and its colossal population, India should have a much more targeted policy, concentrating vaccinations in hotspots.
Gujarat is among the few states to have said they would do so, with chief minister Vijay Rupani saying Friday that vaccinations for over-18s would happen only in the 10 worst-hit districts.
Serum is making 60-70 million AstraZeneca doses per month, and is aiming for 100 million by July. Bharat is aiming to produce 10 million a month and targets 60-70 million.
Indian firms also have deals to produce other shots including Russia’s Sputnik V — some doses of which were due to arrive soon — and Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, but it could be months until these are deployed. – AFP
Lim Guan Eng said a group of DAP MPs would meet Khairy Jamaluddin next week to deliberate on the matter. – Bernama photo
KUCHING (May 1): The Democratic Action Party (DAP) has urged the federal government to accelerate the vaccination of 16.05 million workforce across Malaysia against Covid-19 to help revitalise the country’s economy.
In making this call in conjunction with Labour Day, national DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said a group of DAP MPs would meet the coordinating minister of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NCIP) Khairy Jamaluddin next week to deliberate on the matter.
“The failure of the PN (Perikatan Nasional) government to manage and control the surge of the third wave of Covid-19 infections has made Malaysia the worst nation in Asia-Pacific in per capita terms.
“Nothing is more important than the public health of the people to increase the vaccination rate to overcome Covid-19,” he said in his Labour Day message.
Lim, who is Bagan MP, said the severity of the third wave of Covid-19 infections had raised the likelihood that a new round of Movement Control Order (MCO) would be imposed on one or two states.
He said this had hampered recovery from the worst economic recession in history and caused unemployment to increase to 4.8 per cent or 778,000 in February this year, with youth unemployment at 13.9 per cent or 348,000 unemployed youths, the highest in decades.
“What is distressing is that two PN ministers namely Human Resources Minister (Datuk Seri) M Saravanan and (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department) Economy (Datuk Seri) Mustapa Mohamed are publicly urging undergraduates who are unable to find jobs, to accept monthly pay of RM1,000.
“The two PN ministers say that having pay below the monthly minimum wage of RM1,200 set by the PH (Pakatan Harapan) government is better than having no job,” said the former finance minister.
According to Lim, paying below the monthly minimum wage is illegal and can be punished with a RM10,000 fine.
Instead of taking action, he said the two federal cabinet ministers were encouraging such illegal pay.
He opined that such betrayal of workers rights must be condemned and the two PN Ministers should publicly apologise and atone for their failures, by taking concrete steps to uphold the minimum wage.
“To save and create jobs as well as save businesses, the PN government should fulfil its promise of an automatic bank loan moratorium extension (except the Top 20) and implement the RM6.5 billion Malaysia@Work programme creating 350,000 jobs announced in PH’s 2020 Budget.
“Under Malaysia@Work, Malaysian workers who were previously unemployed, will get monthly wage incentives of RM500 whilst employers will receive monthly hiring incentives of RM300 for a period of two years,” pointed out Lim.
For the sake of the 16.05 million Malaysian workforce, he said the DAP was willing to put aside its political differences with the PN government to work together to defeat Covid-19, support the NCIP as well as save existing jobs and create new jobs.
People wearing face masks, amid concerns of the Covid-19, walk past a retail store in Sydney. — AFP photo
SYDNEY (May 1): People arriving in Australia from coronavirus-ravaged India could face five years jail as the country strengthens an earlier travel ban, the government announced today, in a bid to prevent the outbreak from spreading to its shores.
From Monday, any traveller into Australia who has been in India in the past 14 days could face fines and jail time, adding to a temporary ban announced earlier this week, which will remain in place until at least May 15.
The threat came after travellers on indirect flights from India exposed a loophole in the government’s attempt to temporarily block arrivals from the South Asian nation.
“The government does not make these decisions lightly,” Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a statement.
“However, it is critical the integrity of the Australian public health and quarantine systems is protected, and the number of COVID-19 cases in quarantine facilities is reduced to a manageable level.”
The announcement, which is the first to specifically threaten jail for those breaching a travel ban, was labelled “outrageous” by Human Rights Watch.
“The government should be looking for ways to safely quarantine Australians returning from India, instead of focusing their efforts on prison sentences and harsh punishments,” Human Rights Watch Australia Director Elaine Pearson said.
On Friday, daily cases in India climbed to 385,000 — a new global record — with almost 3,500 deaths, according to official data that many experts suspect falls short of the true toll.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has rejected calls for charter flights to return thousands of citizens — including high-profile cricketers — stranded in India.
Australia closed its international borders to most non-citizens in March 2020, and those allowed to travel must spend 14 days in quarantine hotels on their return.
The country of 25 million has recorded fewer than 30,000 cases since the pandemic began and 910 deaths, with no major outbreaks since last year and most parts of the country under few restrictions. – AFP
Prior to this, KDHNHEP announced 12 items from four categories namely chicken, chicken eggs, meat and sea products to be implemented for 30 days beginning April 21 to May 20.
PUTRAJAYA (May 1): The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) has added another 20 items to the 2021 Hari Raya Puasa Festive Season Maximum Price Control Scheme (SHMMP) list, bringing the total to 32.
Its minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the second phase of the 2021 Hari Raya Puasa SHMMP which involves items from the vegetable, dry food and sea products categories would be enforced from May 6.
“The second phase will run for 15 days beginning May 6 until May 20, which is seven days before and after the celebration,” he said in a statement today.
Prior to this, KDHNHEP announced 12 items from four categories namely chicken, chicken eggs, meat and sea products to be implemented for 30 days beginning April 21 to May 20, in an effort to curb price hike of essential goods during Ramadan and ahead of Hari Raya Puasa.
Under the second phase the items include tomatoes; red chillies, imported round cabbage (Indonesia and China, excluding Beijing cabbage); long beans; green choy sum; long eggplant; cucumber, old ginger, coconut (wholesale), grated coconut (retail); imported red onion (China); onion (Holland), garlic (China) dried chillies, imported potatoes (China) and ground-nuts.
Nanta said the Hari Raya Puasa SHMMP implemented in phases is based on data-driven marketing with evidence based on market price and consumers’ feedback.
“The 2021 Hari Raya Puasa SHMMP has been implemented to stabilise the prices of critical items that are mainly used during the festival season and to enable as many people as possible to celebrate in a peaceful, happy and harmonious atmosphere,” he said. – Bernama
WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) found it to have an efficacy of 94.1per cent. – File photo
GENEVA (May 1): The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Friday that it listed the Moderna vaccine for emergency use for the coronavirus — the fifth injection to receive emergency validation from the UN agency, Anadolu Agency reported.
“One of the things done under the process is to review how the manufacturing is done,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told journalists at a UN news conference.
The WHO said the Emergency Use Listing assesses the quality, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines — a prerequisite for COVAX Facility vaccine supply.
COVAX is a global initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines led by Gavi, the vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the WHO. It also allows countries to accelerate their regulatory approval to import and administer COVID-19 vaccines.
The US pharmaceutical company’s vaccine has already been reviewed by the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE), making recommendations for vaccines’ use in populations.
The US Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorisation for the Moderna vaccine on Dec 18.
And a marketing authorisation valid throughout the European Union was granted by the European Medicines Agency on Jan 6. The Moderna vaccine is an mNRA-based vaccine, a new type of shot to protect against infectious diseases.
SAGE found it to have an efficacy of 94.1per cent.
Although the vaccine is provided as a frozen suspension at -25 C to -15 C (-13 F to 5 F) in a multidose vial, vials can be stored refrigerated at 2 – 8 C (36 – 46 F) for up to 30 days before the withdrawal of the first dose.
WHO has also listed the Pfizer/BioNTech, Astrazeneca-SK Bio, Serum Institute of India and Janssen vaccines for emergency use. – Bernama
Acryl said the remarks by the newsreader could cause public hatred towards the authorities, including the police. – Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR (May 1) Federal police have opened an investigation paper into the case of a newsreader who had allegedly made slanderous remarks on television.
Berita Harian reported Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani as saying that the case will be investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code for intentionally insulting any person with the likelihood that such provocation will break the public peace.
The offence is punishable with two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Acryl said the remarks by the newsreader could cause public hatred towards the authorities, including the police.
“The actions taken by the police are based on existing legislative provisions meant to curb the Covid-19 pandemic,” he told the Malay daily.
The reader was presenting news on the RM50,000 fine imposed upon a burger seller in Kelantan, after it was found that he violated existing standard operating procedures for Covid-19.
At the start, the reader used a Malay idiom to imply that the authorities are foolish to impose such fines upon members of the public seeking to earn a living and raise their families during the ongoing pandemic.
The incident will also be investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for the improper use of network facilities or network service, which is punishable with a RM50,000 fine, one year imprisonment, or both. – Malay Mail
A health worker taking a swab sample from a woman in India. – AFP photo
AHMEDANAD, INDIA (May 1): At least 12 Covid-19 patients died Saturday in the latest in a series of hospital fires in India, local media reported, as the country’s health care system buckles under a surge in cases.
There were around 50 other patients at the four-storey hospital in Bharuch in the western state of Gujarat when the blaze began at 1.00am local time (0730 GMT). It has since been put out.
“As per information at 6.30 am, the death toll in the tragedy stood at 18. Immediately after the fire, we had confirmation of 12 deaths,” the Press Trust of India quoted a local police official as saying.
On April 23 a fire on the outskirts of Mumbai killed 13 Covid-19 patients, a few days after another blaze left 22 people dead at another clinic, also in Maharashtra state.
Last month 22 other coronavirus patients died at a hospital in the same state when the oxygen supply to their ventilators was disrupted by a leak.
India’s health care system has long suffered from underfunding, and the new virus outbreak has seen critical shortages in oxygen, drugs and hospital beds, with patients dying outside hospitals in some areas. – AFP
SIBU (May 1): Bukit Assek assemblywoman Irene Chang wants the state government to give Sibu priority on Covid-19 vaccine supplies.
She said this is because Sibu has the highest rate of registration for the vaccination programme in the state, which was about 80 per cent of the district’s total population.
On top of that, she said, Sibu has the highest Covid-19 mortality rate and constantly in the top three with the most daily positive cases.
However, she said, so far only about 8,800 people in the district including frontliners have been vaccinated.
“In a recent news report, (Minister of Local Government and Housing) Dr Sim Hui Kian expressed his concerns that the supplies of the vaccines in the state may surpass the number of registrations for the vaccine by July.
“This gives the people the impression that there is an adequate supply of available vaccine.
“If that is the case, the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) and the state Health Department should send in the (vaccine) supplies to Sibu for us to resume our immunisation programme, where there are many people who have registered but are still waiting,” she said in a statement today.
Chang said if all those registered in Sibu were to receive their shots without any delay, it would be possible that the district may achieve herd immunity first, then the rest of Sarawak would follow suit sooner or later.
“This is a race against time as the virus is constantly mutating, and each mutated variant has shown signs of greater transmissibility,” she pointed out.
She also lamented that the immunisation programme was abruptly stopped when the health department had purportedly failed to deliver the promised vaccine supplies to Sibu on the second day of programme on April 20, which had led to the cancellation of the programme that day.
She said SDMC and the health department should make sure that this would never happen again as the fiasco had left many senior citizens from the high-risk groups very disappointed and frustrated.
She also urged SDMC and the state government to update Sarawakians on the status of procurement for the vaccine.
She said since the approval has been given for the state to go ahead with acquiring its own supply of vaccines, the Sarawak Covid-19 Vaccine Advisory Group (SCOVAG) under the state government should reveal what is the procurement mechanism and system to be adopted by the state.
She said she would like to know the terms and conditions that would be incurred when the vaccines are acquired from suppliers.
“Since countries which procure their vaccines directly from their suppliers would normally have complete autonomy over the vaccine selection, pricing and delivery process and so forth, would Sarawak be accorded the same autonomy in the place of Malaysia with the suppliers?” she asked.
She also said since any purchase of vaccine would invariably involve a huge chunk of the state revenue, the state government should therefore ensure that the mechanism chosen would be transparent, and would guarantee that Sarawakians would receive the vaccines at affordable prices in a timely manner to optimise the immunisation programme performance.
Muhyiddin said the government aspired to ensure that Malaysia would continue to prosper with no one Malaysian being left behind in the process. – Reuters photo
KUCHING (May 1): A total of 30,377 individuals have secured employment through the federal government’s Short-term Employment Programme (MySTEP) as of April 16, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
In his Labour Day message, he said of the total, 27,503 were placed in the public sector while the remaining 2,874 were with the government-linked companies (GLCs) and strategic partners.
“This MySTEP initiative is aimed at bringing down the unemployment rate in the country especially among graduates and our youths,” he said.
Muhyiddin said the government aspired to ensure that Malaysia would continue to prosper with no one Malaysian being left behind in the process.
He said those who served as frontliners in the economic sector and nation development played a pivotal role to help the government achieve its target.
“Even though the government has come up with various assistance through economic stimulus packages, it is undeniable that some groups of workers are still affected by the impacted economy and it will take a longer period for them to get back their pre-pandemic lives.”
Despite so, the prime minister hoped that Malaysians particularly the employed sector would hang in there and play their part to ensure that the country is on the road to economic recovery.
Muhyiddin asserted every employed individual could be a strategic partner in putting the country’s economic development on the right track.
He said the government would be appreciative of the concerted efforts of every Malaysian to improve the country’s economy.
“Let’s work together for the future of Malaysia to continue enjoying peace, progress and harmony. Happy Labour Day to every employed individual, be they from the public or private sector,” he added.
KUCHING (May 1): The government is in the midst of reviewing the Minimum Wage Order 2020 to improve the policy and ensure its relevancy, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
He said the government had been paying attention to the issues arising from the minimum wage policy, and would continue its efforts to improve the order.
With this, he hoped that all parties who wished to express their views and suggestions would do so through the platform provided.
On that note, Muhyiddin, in his Labour Day message, said the government is also focusing on creating more employment opportunities amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic which has impacted various sectors and individuals economically.
Towards this end, the he said the federal government had set up the National Employment Council in line with its 2021 Budget that centred on the well-being of Malaysians.
“The government is in the midst of enhancing the existing labour law such as the Employment Act 1955 to extend the maternity leave to 90 days and introduce a three-day paternity leave to the private sector.
“We also want to see a work life balance by reducing the work hours from 48 hours to 45 hours per week besides introducing flexible working arrangements,” he said.
In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, he said the government had also amended the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446) in conjunction with the proclamation of the Emergency to curb the spread of the virus.
He said such move was inevitable given the rising number of Covid-19 clusters involving workers’ quarters.
He added that the amendment to the Act 446 had also been extended to Sabah and Sarawak.
KUALA LUMPUR (May 1): Bangi DAP MP Ong Kian Ming has urged the government to come up with proper standard operating procedures if it plans to put in place another movement control order (MCO).
He raised concerns of business disruptions which could worsen economic conditions for the nation.
“The people are already suffering from MCO 1.0 and MCO 2.0.
“If MCO 3.0 is announced without proper preparation, the people’s suffering will only increase,” he said in a statement today.
Earlier in April, the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the government has no intention to enforce another round of MCO.
However, Ong said there is much speculation that there will be another MCO in the Klang Valley next week, perhaps as early as May 3.
“This is already the third time that we are experiencing MCO in the Klang Valley where almost 10 million residents are located.
“The National Security Council (NSC) should already have a system in place to prepare the residents with advance warning before an MCO is announced,” he said.
He also urged the government to reconvene Parliament to enable discussions on Covid-19related policies.
“It is high time that parliament is reconvened so that policies regarding the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic can be discussed openly and the Ministers in charge of various aspects of relevant policies can be questioned by the Opposition as well as the backbenchers,” he said.
The Parliament has been suspended this year after the King had declared a state of Emergency to contain the high-rising Covid-19 cases.
New infection numbers have been seen increasing above the 2,000 mark for more than two weeks now, with yesterday’s number at 3,788. – Malay Mail
Medical volunteers conducting a door-to-door medical screening inside Dharavi slums to fight against the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Mumbai, India. — AFP file photo
DUBLIN (May 1): Five countries including India have been added to Ireland’s mandatory quarantine list, according to a statement released by the Irish government on Friday, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.
The five countries are India, Iran, Mongolia, Georgia and Costa Rica. India’s federal health ministry said on Friday morning that 386,452 new cases and 3,498 related deaths were registered in the past 24 hours across the country.
Starting from 4 a.m. on May 4, people traveling from or transiting through these five countries will have to complete a 14-day mandatory quarantine at a government-designated hotel after they arrive in Ireland, the statement said.
All the costs during the mandatory quarantine period will be borne by travelers themselves, according to relevant regulations previously announced by the Irish government.
Those who test negative on the tenth day of their arrival at a designated hotel can leave. Those who leave the designated hotel earlier than they should could face a fine of up to 2,000 euros (about 2,400 U.S. dollars) or a half-year jail term, or both.
Ireland started to implement the mandatory quarantine system from March 26 to protect itself from imported cases of COVID-19, particularly from areas prevalent with new variants of the virus.
To date, there are 71 countries and regions on Ireland’s mandatory quarantine list. They include 20 from Africa, 16 from South America, 16 from Asia, 14 from Europe and five from North America. – Bernama
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the mid-morning quake hit at a depth of 47 kilometres (29 miles) in the Pacific, off Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture. – AFP file photo
TOKYO (May 1): A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast on Saturday but no tsunami warning was issued, Japanese and US authorities said, with no immediate reports of damage.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the mid-morning quake hit at a depth of 47 kilometres (29 miles) in the Pacific, off Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture — near the epicentre of a huge 2011 quake which triggered a towering tsunami, killing more than 18,000 people.
USGS and Japan’s meteorological agency said there was no tsunami risk following the jolt, which produced strong shaking along parts of the eastern coast and was also felt in Tokyo.
Public broadcaster NHK said there were no immediate reports of damage.
Japan sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
The country is regularly hit by quakes, and has strict construction regulations intended to ensure buildings can withstand strong tremors. – AFP
The man works as a sales assistant at New Odense(s) Confectionery & Bakery. – Bernama file photo
SINGAPORE (May 1): A 41-year-old male Malaysian was among the nine new cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection reported here yesterday, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH).
In its full data released late last night, MOH said he is a household contact of Case 62638, a 26-year-old female Singapore Permanent Resident who works as a cleaner deployed at a community care facility in Tuas South.
Both are now part of Case 62553 Cluster which involved a 39-year-old female Vietnam national who works as a cleaner deployed at the same community care facility, said the ministry.
MOH said the Malaysian developed a fever and cough on April 28 and sought medical treatment at a general practitioner clinic where he was tested for COVID-19.
As he had been identified as a close contact of Case 62553, the ministry said he was contacted and placed on quarantine.
“He reported his symptom and was conveyed in an ambulance to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. His test result came back positive for COVID-19 infection on April 29. His serology test result is negative,” it said.
The man works as a sales assistant at New Odense(s) Confectionery & Bakery.
As for the Case 62541 cluster linked to a nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), the ministry said four more confirmed cases were reported yesterday, bringing the total to 13.
As at noon yesterday, 24 new cases were reported in Singapore, of which 15 were imported, bringing the total tally to 61,145.
So far, there are nine COVID-19 clusters in the republic. – Bernama
Sakura or cherry blossom blooming in Japan. – AFP file photo
KUALA LUMPUR ,(May 1): Universiti Malaya’s academician Associate Professor Dr Md Nasrudin Md Akhir is among this year’s recipient of the “The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette”, a decoration from the Emperor of Japan for the 2021 spring conferment.
“His dedication to promoting the academic exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and Malaysia has earned him Decorations by Emperor of Japan,” said a press release issued by the Embassy of Japan, here, today.
The former Head of the Malaysia-Japan Research Centre at the University of Malaya was the coordinator for the Japan Studies Program and played a vital role in developing it soon after the program launched in University of Malaya (UM) in 1993/1994 academic session.
As a result, more than 500 students graduated from the program over the years. They act as a bridge between Japan and Malaysia and work in a wide range of positions such as senior government officials, businesspersons, researchers and many others, the statement said.
He is the co-founder of the Malaysian Association of Japanese Studies (MAJAS), which was established in 1998. The Association is open to all keen in Japan Studies or Japan-Malaysia relations, with symposiums held every year to offer opportunities for interaction among scholars.
Dr Md Nasrudin is also one of the founding members of the Japanese Studies Association in ASEAN (JSAASEAN) established in Singapore in 2005. JSA-ASEAN is a network among Japanese Studies specialists from Southeast Asia and serves as a catalyst in promoting Japanese Studies in the region. – Bernama
Sarawak Health Director Dr Chin Zin Hing speaking at an SDMC press conference on Covid-19 update in Kuching. – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (May 1): A total of 1,942 or about 2.2 per cent of eligible individuals in Sarawak did not turn up for their first dose of Covid-19 vaccination as of April 29, said state Health Department director Dr Chin Zin Hing.
At the same time, he added, a total 133 or about 0.2 per cent of them had refused to be vaccinated.
“As of April 29, 2021, for Covid-19 vaccination dose 1, total number of enrolments is 87,727 recipients,” he said when contacted.
As for the final dose of the vaccine, a total of 56,022 individuals across Sarawak have received both doses as of April 29, he said.
Out of that number, Dr Chin said 421 or about 0.8 per cent did not come for vaccination and 12 or about 0.02 per cent refused vaccination, he said.
Minister of Local Government and Housing Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian on April 29 said Sarawak may end up with more Covid-19 vaccines than recipients due to the number of people who have not registered for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NCIP).
He said that additional scheduled Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines from the National Covid-19 vaccination programme was enroute to Kuching, aside from more scheduled weekly shipment from now on.
“There are 2.2 million Sarawakians eligible for the NCIP. However, current registration is only 1.2 million or 55 per cent, with 868,000 registered via the MySejahtera app and another 250,000 to 300,000 via manual registration, after data cleaning for duplication,” said Dr Sim in a Facebook post.
“At this rate, by July, we may have vaccines but not enough Sarawakians for vaccination,” he said, urging them to register for the vaccination.
Sarawak aspires to vaccinate at least 70 per cent or approximately two million people in Sarawak by the end of August this year to achieve herd community so as to help curb the spread of Covid-19.
KUALA LUMPUR (April 30): The Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) will investigate allegations that three Muslim single mothers had to seek financial assistance from the church after their aid application was rejected by the zakat or related agencies.
Its minister Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad said he would definitely have offered assistance to the individuals had he known about the matter.
He said this to reporters after officiating the Semarak Lailatul Qadar and Get Together Programme with principals of tahfiz and pondok schools in the Federal Territories at Maahad Tahfiz Al Faridiyah in Taman Sri Rampai, here today.
Also present was Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) director Datuk Mohd Ajib Ismail.
Yesterday, a news portal reported that three single mothers had been seeking help from the church over the past few years after the zakat institutions and related agencies rejected their aid application.
On the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) related to Haj and Umrah, Zulkifli said Saudi Arabia has yet to decide whether the annual pilgrimage would be allowed for this year.
“Let us all pray to Allah for this pandemic to be over,” he said.
At the event, 41 tahfiz and pondok schools registered with Jawi received donations in the form of basic food items such as rice, flour, sugar and cooking oil. — Bernama
