Proactive and preventive measures against Covid-19 need to be heightened to prevent a new threat from the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant, say health experts.
The new coronavirus variant, first detected in South Africa on Nov 9, was classified as a variant of concern (VOC) by the World Health Organisation on Friday.
With countries around the world rushing to contain the Omicron variant, Singapore has announced that Malaysians using the land Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) to get to the republic from today must take an Antigen Rapid Test upon arrival.
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Koh Kar Chai said Malaysia should be cautious with the new variant which has already been detected in Europe and Asia.
He said early evidence suggested that the Omicron variant had a higher reinfection risk.
“Experts have already expressed concern that Omicron’s large number of mutations may help it spread or even enable it to evade antibodies from prior infections or vaccination,” he said, adding that Malaysians needed to be on alert as all economic sectors had reopened.
With the latest variant threat, Dr Koh urged Malaysians to strictly adhere to the SOP even after full vaccination and booster shots.
“We also advise the remaining population who are unvaccinated to get their jabs as soon as possible if they are eligible as it will prevent severe Covid-19.
“All available evidence-based preventive measures against Covid-19 should be taken. Regardless of the variant, the public should not let its guard down,” he said.
Universiti Malaya epidemiologist Prof Datuk Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud said Malaysia should safeguard its borders as there was reason to be extra cautious of the Omicron variant.
“This is possibly the shortest time between detection of a variant and its designation as a VOC,” he said, pointing to the period between Nov 9 and when it was reported to WHO on Nov 24.
Dr Awang Bulgiba, however, said time would determine whether the new VOC was more lethal than the earlier ones.
“We need to increase our genomic surveillance and sequencing combined with thorough epidemiological analysis to make sure we do not miss any Omicron infections,” he said, adding that the Omicron variant could be quickly identified through a PCR test, where there is an S gene dropout.
He said by using the PCR test, samples could then be prioritised in order to be sent for genome sequencing.
“It takes time but this is needed for confirmation,” he said.
Dr Awang Bulgiba said due to the potential immune escape for the particular VOC, vaccine manufacturers were investigating whether their vaccines require updating.
He said Novavax was already working on a newer version of its vaccine with Omicron in mind, while Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson were examining whether their vaccines needed updating.
He said AstraZeneca had months earlier worked on a newer updated version of its vaccine (AZD2816) which targeted the Beta variant.
“AstraZeneca has stated that they are working to see if their current vaccine and its new long-acting antibody cocktail (AZD7442) work against the Omicron variant.
“As the Omicron variant shares some of the same mutations of the Beta variant, it would probably not take very long for the company to modify the AZD2816 to work against the Omicron variant, if indeed there is a need to do so,” he said.
In safeguarding the country from the potential spread of the variant, Dr Awang Bulgiba advised that vaccination for schoolchildren, as well as the booster programme, need to be completed quickly to achieve optimal immunity in the population.
Universiti Putra Malaysia medical epidemiologist Assoc Prof Dr Malina Osman said preliminary findings showed that the new variant’s protein differed significantly from that used to develop vaccines against Covid-19 infection.
She said current measures of the Health Ministry were sufficient but the public must continuously adhere to the SOP.
“The travel ban on the affected countries should continue until specific clinical impact is known,” said Dr Malina.
The ministry had on Friday announced that Malaysians had been banned from travelling to seven African countries following the emergence of the new variant.
Foreigners with a history of travel to South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe over the past 14 days would not be allowed to enter Malaysia.
Individuals fully vaccinated using the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine at least three months ago will soon be eligible for a Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot.
This exercise of administering heterologous booster shots - meaning the booster vaccine used is different from the first vaccine - will be done in an off-label and voluntary manner. It will also be part of a government study.
Off-label is when a drug is used in a way other than officially approved for.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced this in a press conference this evening.
“The Health Ministry has decided to extend the booster dose to individuals who have received complete Sinovac doses at least three months ago, whereby they will be given a Comirnaty booster dose in a heterologous manner,” he said.
Comirnaty is the name of the Covid-19 vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech.
Elderly first
Khairy noted that these heterologous booster shots will be rolled out in phases nationwide.
The first phase will begin tomorrow (Oct 22) and prioritise those 60 years old and above who were fully vaccinated using Sinovac at least three months ago.
He said eligible participants will be informed via MySejahtera or text message.
He also said the ministry will soon launch an appointment-booking system for booster shots.
These shots will be administered by private healthcare providers and managed by ProtectHealth Corporation Sdn Bhd.
“Administering heterologous booster doses is an off-label use and will be used as a subgroup study in The Real World Evaluation of Covid-19 Vaccination (RECoVaM) and a study of the adverse serious effects after vaccination (SafeCovac) for all booster dose recipients.
“Booster doses will be administered in a voluntary and free manner under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
“The objective of administering booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine is to ensure optimum protection period is obtained by all Covid-19 vaccine recipients,” he explained.
RECoVaM is a study by the ministry’s Institute for Clinical Research at the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Pfizer booster dose to be given to Sinovac vaccine recipients
Khairy said the Ministry of Health (MOH) will be extending Comirnaty
(Pfizer-BionTech) COVID-19 vaccine booster dose to individuals who have completed vaccination with Sinovac vaccine after at least three months. - KKM photo
KKUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Health (MOH) will be extending Comirnaty (Pfizer-BionTech) COVID-19 vaccine booster dose to individuals who have completed vaccination with Sinovac vaccine after at least three months.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the dispensing of the heterologous booster dose is through off-label manner and would be given to eligible recipients of Sinovac vaccine from tomorrow in phases nationwide.
"For the start, the booster shot would be administered on individuals aged 60 and above based on the advice of Strategic Advisory Group Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) from the World Health Organisation (WHO) which met on Oct 4 to 7.
"The dispensing would become a subgroup study in the study of The Real World Evaluation of COVID-19 Vaccination (RECoVaM) and the study on Serious Adverse Effects After Vaccination (SAFECOVAC) which is for all booster dose recipients," he said in a media conference today.
Khairy said the administering of the booster dose is voluntary and free under National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) with the objective to ensure optimum protection for COVID-19 recipients in Malaysia.
He said the initiative would be led by private medical practitioners under the coordination of Protect Health Corporation Sdn Bhd.
"Eligible Individuals would be informed via MySejahtera application and through Short Message Service (SMS) to the telephone number of the individuals who do not have MySejahtera.
"The method of booster dose appointment would be improved from time to time and soon vaccine recipients would be able to make appointment through a system being developed by MOH," he said.
Earlier, the Health Minister said the implementation of the booster dose had begun nationwide on Oct 13 using Comirnaty vaccine involving 47,728 recipients as at Oct 19.
He said at the moment, the booster dose is given to recipients of Comirnaty vaccine at least after six months with priority given to frontliners (health and security), residents aged 60 and above and individual with comorbidity
On the pandemic situation for the 41st epid week (Oct 10 to 16), Khairy said the total admission of COVID-19 patients to public hospitals and COVID-19 Quarantine and Low-Risk Treatment Centres (PKRC) for the Central Zone ( Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya) has started to show a rising trend after interstate travel was allowed on Oct 11.
He said the situation is also the same in Sarawak especially for Category 3,4 and 5 patients after cross state travel was allowed.
"Similarly, the trend of COVID-19 patients in categories 3,4 and 5 in the Southern Zone in which Negeri Sembilan had started to show an increasing trend in the 40th epidemic week," he said.
Meanwhile, Khairy also announced the launch of COVID-19 National Testing Strategy would study the test strategy for COVID-19 which is clearer such as the context needed for COVID-19 test.
He said the document would be uploaded into MOH website tomorrow morning.
"... at the work place, school, university, concert, conference, stadium and so on by clearly stating when you need to be tested, how often you need to be tested. The launch (strategy) would give a clearer picture to the people on when one should carry out COVID-19 test and in what context one should take the COVID-19 test," he said.
Penang Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang says the island welcomes both visitors
and locals returning home to meet their families after a long travel
hiatus. – The Vibes file pic, October 13, 2021
So long: Volunteers and staff members leaving short notes on a board in
the foyer on the last day of operation of the vaccination centre at
Spice Convention Centre in Bayan Baru.
— ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
It’s an indication that vaccination programme is working, say experts
PETALING JAYA: Interstate travel is on the agenda following the declining number of Covid-19 infections that had once peaked at 24,599 on Aug 26.
Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 9,380 cases. Health experts described this as a positive sign and an indication that the vaccination programme was working.
Malaysian Public Health Physicians’ Association president Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said the downward trend was “real and very encouraging”.
“This is a positive impact of the vaccination drive.
“I believe the Covid-19 cases in Category One to Three will still be with us in big numbers but people should not be alarmed as we see a reduction in severe cases as well as deaths,” he said yesterday.
To prevent a spike in Covid-19 cases, he urged those who have yet to be vaccinated to do so and the public to strictly adhere to the SOP.
He said they should also self-monitor if they feel unwell, adding that the government must continue surveillance for new clusters and variants.
Universiti Malaya Department of Social and Preventive Medicine Faculty of Medicine’s Prof Dr Moy Foong Ming said the drop in cases was a “very good sign”, adding that it showed that vaccines worked in preventing the virus transmission although not completely.
“The rates of hospitalisation, intensive care unit (ICU) usage and deaths are also coming down.
“We are moving in the positive direction via the emphasis on the vaccination drive,” she said.
Dr Moy said the government had used various methods such as setting up of vaccination centres, engaging general practitioners (GPS), having outreach programmes for the vulnerable groups, and walk-ins for the elderly followed by adults and the migrant workers, both documented and undocumented, to boost the vaccination rate for the adult population.
As of Oct 5, 88.4% of the adult population have been fully vaccinated while 94.5% have received at least one dose.
“We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The cases were below 10,000 for the past few days. We hope with the adolescents getting fully vaccinated, the number of daily cases can reduce further along with the rates of hospitalisation, ICU usage and deaths until these rates are no more a burden to our healthcare system,” she said.
To ensure recovery continues, Dr Moy said people would still need to be compliant to the SOP such as mask wearing, hand hygiene and physical distancing.
“Once people’s mobility is increased with all sectors open, chances of increased Covid19 transmission will be there. In order to ensure the recovery continues, everyone should play their role and help to ensure another wave of Covid-19 transmission does not happen,” she said.
She said the relevant authorities should monitor the Covid-19 situation closely, and to take a proactive action when it started to diverge from the projected path.
New infections have hit four-digits three days in a row with 9,066 cases registered on Oct 3, followed by 8,075 (Oct 4) and 8,817 (Oct 5).
The number of Covid-19 patients in ICU have also gradually fallen since Aug 31, with similar trends seen in hospitalisation and ventilated patients rates.
The death rate has also slowly decreased since Sept 1, registering a new low of actual deaths of only three on Tuesday. But the country registered 117 Covid-19-related deaths as it includes backlogged cases that were previously unreported.
The infectivity rate (R0) nationwide has been falling since last month.
On Sept 1, the R0 was 0.99. It tapered off to 0.87 for the past three days, which is a new low since March 19.
Universiti Putra Malaysia medical epidemiologist Assoc Prof Dr Malina Osman believed that the R0 for the entire country needs to be interpreted with caution as it covers large areas with different sets of backgrounds, pre-existing number of cases and sociobehavioural patterns.
“In my opinion, based on R0 only, it would be very difficult to interpret the real situation. But the decreasing pattern gives some hope that the situation is getting better,” she said.
Dr Malina hoped that the R0 would further decrease to less than 0.5 or if possible near 0.
Singapore on Wednesday reported 347 new Covid-19 cases, the highest since August 2020, as the first vaccinated German tourists arrivedSingapore’s health ministry reported 347 new local Covid-19 cases, higher than the 328 cases reported the previous day.
Wednesday’s number was the highest since early August 2020.
This came as the first planeload of Germans allowed into Singapore as part of a tentative reopening for coronavirus-vaccinated tourists arrived at Changi Airport on Wednesday afternoon.
Singapore last month said it would accept double-jabbed visitors from Brunei and Germany, starting in September. While the travellers must test negative for the virus, they do not have to quarantine.
Among the passengers on Wednesday’s maiden flight were Germany-based journalists invited by Singapore Airlines (SIA) and the Singapore Tourism Board.
The flight took longer than usual due to it having to avoid Afghan airspace, according to German reporter Andreas Spaeth, who was on board.
After closing its border during the first pandemic wave last year, Singapore began readmitting tourists, with strict quarantine rules, from a handful of countries, including New Zealand, Vietnam and regions in Australia and China, after it ended its sole pandemic lockdown in June 2020. The list has been amended several times in response to fluctuating coronavirus case numbers in countries of origin.
So-called “reciprocal green lanes” for business or official travel between Singapore and several countries were also set up last year, but most have since been suspended, including one for Germany. Singaporeans were again permitted to enter Germany in October last year, after Berlin eased pandemic border curbs.
People sit at the Cheonggye Stream in Seoul. About 42.6 per cent of South Koreans are fully vaccinated. Photo: AP
Elsewhere,
South Korea plans to open up once it reaches its 80 per cent
vaccination milestone, and Japan is expected to ease curbs in November
Meanwhile, South Korea is drawing up a plan on how to live more normally with Covid-19, expecting 80 per cent of adults to be fully vaccinated by late October, health authorities said on Wednesday.
The country is in the middle of its worst wave of infections, but it has kept the number of severely ill cases under control through steadily rising vaccination rates.
“We’ll review measures that will allow us to live more normally, but any such switch will be implemented only when we achieve high vaccination rates and overall (Covid-19) situations stabilise,” Son Young-rae, a senior health ministry official, told a briefing.
The strategy will be implemented in phases to gradually ease restrictions, authorities said. Masks will still be required at least in the initial stage.
The government expects to implement the plan sometime after late October, when 80 per cent of the adult population is likely to have been vaccinated. As of Tuesday, South Korea had given at least one vaccine dose to 70.9 per cent of its adult population, while 42.6 per cent are fully vaccinated.
South Korea extended national social distancing curbs to October 3 this week as the country boosts its vaccination campaign ahead of a thanksgiving holiday that falls later this month. Restrictions in place include limited operating hours for cafes and restaurants and on the number of people allowed at social gatherings.
It reported 2,050 new Covid-19 cases for Tuesday, with 2,014 of those locally acquired. The country has registered 265,423 infections since the pandemic started, with 2,334 deaths.
The country has not seen a significant increase in coronavirus deaths, with a mortality rate of 0.88 per cent, largely due to high vaccination rates among the elderly and vulnerable. Severe or critical cases stood at 387 as of Tuesday.
Worldwide total, from the most infected countries: #1 USA,
In the later years of my school life, I used to attend parties thrown by my schoolmates for their birthday, or just to have some fun, at their homes, especially when their parents were away.
I learned, or rather tried, a few types of dances at these parties. There was the jive, the fox-trot, the waltz, the shake and the funky chicken (yeah, there was such a dance). Those of us who didn’t know any dance would just – as they say – go with the flow.
And man, when you have Creedence Clearwater Revival or Deep Purple singing on your vinyl, you can flow any which way.
The twist was still around, although not as popular, and there was the tango.
I was never good at tango, but a few of my friends were. The tango has some very sharp movements but it’s largely a kind of walking dance. Good tango dancers exhibit exceptionally fluid and fast movements, and it can be sensual.
The dancers – the “lead” and the “follow” – mirror each other’s steps, with the leader initiating the moves and the follower maintaining this movement.
The tango also has something called “backleading” which happens when the follower moves without waiting for, or contrary to, the leader’s initiatives. A stronger form of this is called “hijacking’ where the follower takes control of the dance and leads the leader.
And this, my friends, is what we are seeing in Malaysian politics – especially government politics – today.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the lead in Bersatu and Pakatan Harapan and was dancing with the feeling that he was doing it his way, not knowing that some of the followers had other ideas. Then one follower, Muhyiddin Yassin, “hijacked” the dance and Mahathir was no longer the lead.
In fact, he was not even the follower.
It was one of those daring tango moves that is so smooth and sudden, those watching it can only open their mouths and gasp or exclaim “Wow!”. In this case, many Malaysians were jolted by the shock execution of what has come to be known as the Sheraton Move.
Establishing himself as the lead, Muhyiddin and Bersatu minus Mahathir tried some slick moves of their own with a new set of followers, including Umno, but it only lasted 17 months. Umno – which had always been the lead in the national tango until it, and the Barisan Nasional coalition, lost their majority in the 2018 general election – was tired of mirroring Muhyiddin’s steps.
The lead in a tango is usually the male and Umno is full of raging male hormones, or thinks it is. So, it did a number on Muhyiddin and Bersatu by hijacking the dance to put itself back in the lead.
Umno’s nominee Ismail Sabri Yaakob is now the prime minister and the current lead. Malaysians were sorely disappointed when Ismail reappointed almost every minister who worked under Muhyiddin into his Cabinet. This is because most Malaysians consider that body of ministers a “failed Cabinet”.
And now Ismail has brought back Muhyiddin into the government as chairman of the National Recovery Council, which, we have been told, is a ministerial-level position.
Does this mean we now have two leads in the national tango? What will that do to the tango?
The chief secretary to the government, Mohd Zuki Ali, said on Sept 4 that the Cabinet had decided on the appointment because it had confidence in Muhyiddin’s ability to “spearhead the national recovery strategy to achieve the best economic impact and restore the lives of people severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Social media is full of comments and remarks about his appointment, so I won’t add anything except to say that Malaysians have been disappointed – yet again.
A citizen can be forgiven for thinking that government leaders do not seem to realise the seriousness of the situation we are in.
It doesn’t look like the Covid-19 pandemic will subside anytime soon, with our daily cases hovering around a whopping 20,000 and deaths of more than 250 a day. Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 cases per capita have surpassed that of India. Can you imagine that? We have a population of 32.7 million while India has a population of 1.3 billion, yet our per capita figures are excruciatingly painful.
On Sept 4, India had 42,618 new Covid-19 cases, with 330 deaths. Malaysia had 19,057 cases, with 362 deaths. On Sept 5, India had 42,766 new infections, with 308 deaths. Malaysia recorded 20,396 new cases with 336 deaths. On Monday, Sept 6, India reported 38,948 new cases, with 219 deaths. Malaysia had 17,352 new cases, with 272 deaths.
Also, most of our neighbouring countries are faring better than us.
Because of the pandemic and poorly planned and executed movement restrictions, many people are struggling to put food on the table, and businesses continue to close shop daily. Officially about 800,000 are unemployed but I’m sure the actual figure is higher. More people are expected to lose jobs and more businesses are expected to shutter in the next few months.
The Covid-19 deaths have left many families without the breadwinner and children without their parents. I keep hearing of children losing both their parents to the disease.
Suicides have increased and more people are feeling pressured, and are losing their balance. Many are worried about their future and that of their children who have missed physical school for more than a year.
And our politicians continue to tango.
By A. KATHIRASEN
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
Botched Afghan retreat reveals an America struggling to contain China
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Unable to better China in positive competition and with military options unfeasible, the US can only fall back on the ‘moral high ground’. But in its hasty Afghan withdrawal, to focus on China, the US risks losing even this - Dr. Zhengxu Wang
Whether America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan marks the end of US world hegemony remains to be seen. President Joe Biden
has made it very clear that the United States withdrew to concentrate more on containing China’s rise – that is, extending its hegemony in a more effective and focused manner.
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The US positions its relations with China within a “competition, cooperation and confrontation” formula. But as China’s vice-foreign minister, Xie Feng, said during talks with his US counterpart in Tianjin last month, the US is going all out to confront and contain China while demanding its cooperation whenever needed.
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Unsurprisingly, when the Taliban swiftly took power in the Afghan capital of Kabul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken immediately called on Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to help with the situation.
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China blames the US for thinking only about its own concerns: how can the US set out to harm or undermine China, and still demand its cooperation?
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The US has fallen into a deep predicament in the face of a booming China. The American policy circle and social elite realise that, in many social, economic and governance areas – such as containing Covid-19, developing infrastructure, industrialisation, transiting to sustainable energy, achieving carbon neutrality and moving up to 5G communications – the US is either at a disadvantage or has no possibility of suppressing China right now.
https://youtu.be/LbRXFpkzlZs
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US President Joe Biden vows China “will not win this race” amid electric vehicle rivalry
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Back in April, Blinken admitted that the US had fallen behind China in the field of clean energy. In May, Biden said that while China’s annual research and development investment had risen from ninth in the world to first, the US had dropped from first to eighth.
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These figures proved inaccurate, but Biden’s words reflect American leaders’ anxiety about being surpassed by China in science and technology.
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Positive competition should be about substantially improving living standards and solving the problems facing humanity. Yet America’s real advantage over China boils down to its military power.
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But, as the Saigon flashback during the withdrawal from Kabul shows, America’s ability even to achieve its goals with military power is also very limited.
https://youtu.be/v87fC61K5BY
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Former British prime minister Tony Blair criticises US withdrawal from Afghanistan
Former British prime minister Tony Blair criticises US withdrawal from Afghanistan
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Since the Soviet Union disintegrated, the US seems to have entered an era in which it relied on military power to act unilaterally and arbitrarily in the world. The bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 by a US-led Nato force can be said to be a textbook case of the US exercising military power at will.
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The 2001 invasion of Afghanistan went one step further. Ostensibly in retaliation for the September 11 attacks, it was in fact part of plans by some in the US to overthrow and rebuild regimes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Iran, one by one.
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This has been disastrous for the countries and the world at large. In Afghanistan, more than 30,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed in the war, with another 60,000 injured and millions forced to flee as refugees.
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The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 led to the deaths of an estimated 200,000 civilians or more – and a legacy of some 25 million landmines. The long-standing Syrian civil war, whose democratic forces were supported by the US, has left about 6 million Syrians displaced – the largest refugee crisis today.
https://youtu.be/fUSPxeXUs_8
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‘I'm as old as the revolution’, Syrian boy turns 10 as nation marks decade of civil war
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But when the US comes up against another strong military power, it cannot choose the military option. This was seen in US inaction over Russian military operations against Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014.
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Similarly, the US needs to avoid direct military conflict with China. While Beijing will not initiate military action, Washington would lose more than it could gain if it chose to go to war over Taiwan. Indeed, Beijing’s increasing defence capabilities are proving a deterrent for US military action against China and in the Asia-Pacific as a whole.
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Even with the US gone from Afghanistan, the world still needs to ensure America only uses its military power for national defence.
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Falling behind China in many spheres of competition, and with military options unfeasible, the US is left with its “moral high ground”. Hence, the Biden administration’s attempts to build an ideological alliance based on so-called human rights and democratic values.
https://youtu.be/AqlhWcV5pjs
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US warns American companies about operating in Hong Kong, sanctions 7 Chinese officials
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The main aim of such an alliance is to attack China over democracy and minority rights in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan. But, in practice, such pressure is difficult to exert. In a world where information about the real situation in China is freely available to the larger world, it is impossible to pull the wool over people’s eyes all the time.
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Moreover, China has recently launched powerful counter-attacks against the US and other Western countries, exposing their ingrained racism and their dark histories of colonialism and genocide.
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In any case, should the US choose to compete negatively with China – that is, not by improving its capabilities, setting a better example for the world, and providing more public goods, but instead by weakening, attacking and containing China to maintain its advantage – it will lose its global audience.
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Afghanistan is an object lesson in how to ‘unbuild’ a country 16 Aug 2021
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Over time, more countries and people will recognise America’s hypocrisy, double standards and weakness. The hurried retreat from Afghanistan has been costly in these terms for the US. Any perceived hypocrisy, or double standards in ideology and values will only damage America’s global leadership.
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This is the “China dilemma” the US faces today – it finds itself losing in areas of positive competition, yet by resorting to negative competition, it can only harm itself.
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For its part, China has made it clear it does not seek to defeat the US or overthrow the world order. To escape its China dilemma, the US needs to recognise the right of the Chinese people to live a better life, to modernise society, and to enjoy a safe and stable international environment.
By`
Dr Zhengxu Wang who is distinguished professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs (SIRPA), Fudan University. Previously he served as senior fellow and acting director at the China Policy Institute, University of Nottingham, as well as research fellow at the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore.
China in top spot for research
BEIJING: China has overtaken the United States for the first time in terms of the average number of high-quality scientific papers produced from 2017 to 2019, according to a report by a Japanese government-linked institute this month.
High-quality papers typically refer to the top 10% of the most cited scientific papers in their respective field.
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China topped the global ranking with an average of 40,219 such papers published annually in the three-year period, followed by the US with 37,124, and the United Kingdom with 8,687, according to Japanese Science and Technology Indicators 2021.
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The report has been published annually since 1991 by the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy, which is affiliated with Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Each report is based on the three-year period that ended two years before.
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The latest report found that US papers performed well in fields such as clinical medicine, basic life sciences, physics and geosciences from 2017 to 2019, while Chinese papers were most cited in the fields of materials science, chemistry, engineering, and computer sciences and mathematics.
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In the 1990s, China used to rank 10th or lower among major science nations in the number of high-quality scientific papers, the report said.
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However, it saw significant improvement in the following years, reaching second place globally by the late 2000s and holding onto that position until rising to the top between 2017 and 2019.
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Two factors that have contributed to China’s rapid rise in science and technology output are its massive talent pool and research budget. In 2019, China had around 4.86 million full-time research and development personnel and research expenditure of over 2.2 trillion yuan, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
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China has also seen a steady rise in the annual number of new doctoral degree holders, reaching around 61,000 in 2019. That was second to the US, which had 90,000 new PhD recipients that year, the report said.
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A more prestigious category is called highly-cited papers, which are studies that performed in the top 1% based on the number of citations received, according to Web of Science, a global academic literature and citation database.
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From 2017 to 2019, the US published 4,413 highly-cited papers annually within the three-year period, followed by China with 4,046 and the UK with 970, the report said. — China Daily/ANN
We need more emphasis on the need for good ventilation to avoid transmitting Covid-19.
University Kebangsaan Malaysia researchers have shown that the virus causing Covid-19 can remain in the air for up to eight hours in enclosed, poorly-ventilated spaces. This is why it is so important to open the window and bring in fresh air from outside. — dpa
WASH your hands. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve heard that constantly. But tell me, how often do you hear: “Open the window”?
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We’ve fussed over sanitising, sterilising and disinfecting to prevent the virus from spreading. But what about ventilation? Where is the fuss to bring fresh air to indoor spaces to clear contaminated air?
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Don’t get me wrong, I’m very much into washing hands – ask my children, who’ve heard that for years. But people get infected with Covid-19 mainly from the air they breathe, so why doesn’t ventilation get greater attention?
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People infected with Covid-19 release the virus when they exhale – and in high concentrations when they hack, cough, sneeze, shout or sing. In a closed room, the concentration of virus particles can build up along with the risk of infection. Covid-19 is said to spread with the “3 Cs” – crowded places, confined spaces and close conversation.
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Air-conditioners that recirculate air may become transmitters of disease. In one well-known case in a restaurant in China, 10 people sitting at three different tables got infected from one person, due to the air flow of the air-con blowing virus particles about.
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Over the last year, experts have hotly contested how Covid-19 spreads, in a debate over big droplets vs aerosols (tiny airborne droplets). Health organisations now increasingly accept the major role of airborne transmission. Such details may seem trifling, but the implications are huge. Droplets fall quickly to surfaces, like raindrops; aerosols can remain suspended in the air for hours and move with air currents, like dust particles. This means that you could walk into a closed room and breathe in virus particles left behind hours ago by an infected person.
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This is why ventilation is so critical – more so with the highly infectious Delta variant raging across the country.
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Studies last year by University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) researchers have shown that the virus causing Covid-19 can remain in the air for up to eight hours in enclosed, poorly-ventilated spaces – and that the virus can also travel as far as 6m in aerosols.
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“This is why it is so important to open the window and bring in fresh air from outside – it will dilute the contaminated indoor air inside,” explains ventilation expert Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Shahrul Mohd Nadzir, from UKM’s Centre for Earth Sciences & Environment, who led the studies.
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Ideally, a cross-breeze is needed, so air moves from a window across the room.
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But what if windows can’t be opened? High-rise buildings and shopping malls have central air-conditioners with a ventilation system bringing air in from outside. But such systems need to be monitored and maintained says Dr Shahrul, adding that servicing may not be as easy as most aircons in homes. And they may be inadequate, for instance in malls during festive seasons.
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Also problematic are offices or restaurants with air-conditioners that recirculate air and have no ventilation systems. These could be potential superspreader sites.
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In May, the Singapore government issued detailed guidelines on ventilation in enclosed spaces. The key takeaway: Open the windows and turn off the aircon as often as possible. Also, run exhaust fans at full capacity in closed areas such as toilets.
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“We need to start monitoring indoor air quality to ensure good ventilation so we can prevent indoor clusters,” Dr Shahrul says, adding that air quality sensors can provide continuous monitoring.
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Clean air matters for Covid-19 – there is a strong correlation between air pollutants and Covid-19, which both cause respiratory problems. Moreover, ultrafine particles in the air can potentially carry SARS-CoV-2, as shown by Dr Shahrul’s UKM team in a study published by the Nature Scientific Reports journal early this year.
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Areas with poor indoor air quality could have more ultrafine particles, increasing the risks of Covid-19 transmission. Attached to these particles, the virus could travel over longer distances, explains Dr Shahrul, adding that this occurs with other respiratory viruses.
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The risks of transmission are also higher if many people are in a confined indoor space with poor ventilation. Indeed, we have seen explosive spread in the cramped conditions in which migrant workers live and work.
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The UKM team aims to do a study on air quality on public transport. Buses and LRT/MRT trains have ventilation systems, but when packed, these may be inadequate.
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Dr Shahrul says air purifiers with true Hepa (high efficiency particulate air) filters can help clean air. But he adds: “I wouldn’t simply trust any air purifier brand, they must use a good, proven filter.”
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The other protective measure is, of course, to wear proper, fitting masks (ideally N95 or FFP2, ie masks that filter particulates).
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The pandemic has highlighted a long-standing problem: the need for better ventilation systems and regulations.
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“Human spend 90% of their lives indoors compared with outdoors. We definitely need much stronger regulations on ventilation,” says Dr Shahrul.
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For now, the best way to protect ourselves from Covid-19 (aside from vaccination) may be what renowned infectious disease expert Dr Michael Osterholm says: “Stop swapping air” with others outside your trusted circle of contacts.
` - Mangai Balasegaram writes mostly on health, but also delves into anything on being human. She has worked with international public health bodies and has a Masters in public health. Write to her at lifestyle@thestar.com.my. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.