Easy does it: Parents calming down a child while they get tested for Covid-19 at Kampung Baru in Balakong. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
The Selangor state-sponsored mass Covid-19 screening found that a majority of those between the ages of 20 and 40 who tested positive were asymptomatic.
The screening was carried out by Selcare, which is the administrator of the state government’s healthcare programme, Skim Peduli Sihat.
Selcare manager Mohd Noor Md Nasir said almost 80% of positive individuals in this age group appeared healthy and showed no signs of being infected.
“These people had been moving around freely before screening, ’’ Mohd Noor said, adding that there was a small number of Covid-19-positive senior citizens who had no symptoms despite having conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
“This is worrisome as these people had been in contact with many others as there was no indication they were infected, ’’ he said.Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari had announced that screening would be carried out in all 56 state assembly constituencies.Selangor has allocated RM6mil for the targeted screening of some 50,000 Selangor residents from May 8-28.
Meanwhile, Selangor Task Force for Covid-19 chairman Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the findings of Selcare’s screening was more reason for the Health Ministry to initiate public screening exercises.
“Imagine all these people would have been roaming around infecting others because there was no indication they were Covid-19-positive, ’’ he said when contacted.
He said this was the grim reality on the ground which Federal authorities must look into seriously.
PETALING JAYA: All of Malaysia will come under the movement control order from tomorrow until June 7 in view of a “more critical and vicious third wave” of Covid-19 infections.
“With daily cases exceeding 4,000 cases, and with 37,396 active cases and 1,700 deaths as at May 10, Malaysia is facing a third wave that could break into a national crisis, ” said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pic).
“Data and science show gatherings make social distancing difficult and that the presence of large groups in closed spaces is the main cause of Covid-19 spreading.
“The chain of infection can only be broken with the public staying home by enforcing stricter movement control, ” he said in a statement yesterday.
The rules and restrictions include:
> No mass gatherings such as weddings, dinners and tahlil, nor government and private events;
> No face-to-face seminars or meetings;
> No inter-district and interstate travel except for work and economic purposes, health matters, emergencies, vaccination appointments and long-distance couples;
> All educational institutions to be closed with exceptions for students sitting for international examinations;
> Childcare centres, nurseries and kindergartens allowed to operate;
> A three-person limit, including the driver, in personal vehicles, taxis and e-hailing rides;
> Employers to enforce a work-from-home order with no more than 30% of its management in office at any one time; and
> Akad nikah allowed based on the standard operating procedure (SOP) by the state Islamic agencies for Muslims, and by the National Registration Department for non-Muslims.
Muhyiddin said the restriction on inter-district and interstate travel, as well as social, sports and education activities, started yesterday and would go on until June 6 as previously announced.
“The start for the rest of the instructions will begin May 12 and be in effect until June 7, ” he added.
Throughout this period, all economic sectors would remain operational, he said.
“The government will continue using the HIDE (Hotspot Identification for Dynamic Engagement) system to monitor premises and hotspots, as well as take follow-up actions.
“I hope the public will remain disciplined and continue to abide by the SOP to break the chain of infections, ” he said.
Muhyiddin reminded all Malaysians that the best course of action was to stay at home.
“We flattened the curve during the first and second wave. I wish to remind all that the third wave we are currently facing is more fierce and critical.
“We have not won. God willing, we will beat this virus, ” he added.
Prior to yesterday’s announcement, which underscored the growing severity of the situation, the MCO had been enforced in certain “red” districts.
China's Sinopharm vaccine approved by WHO for global use https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2021-05-07/Sinopharm-vaccine-approved-by-WHO-for-global-use-104LK27VVcc/index.html via @cgtnofficial
The WHO's emergency approval of China's COVID-19 vaccine will boost global vaccine supply amid shortfall as China's overall yearly production capacity is approaching five billion doses, observers said.
The WHO gave Emergency Use Listing (EUL) to Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine on Friday afternoon, making it the sixth vaccine and the first made by a non-Western country to receive WHO validation for its safety, efficacy and quality. This will send a statement to Western media's doubts and questions over the vaccine's authenticity, observers noted.
The other five COVID-19 vaccines previously approved by the WHO were made by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna.
The approval allows Sinopharm to become a qualified supplier to the COVAX platform that aims to provide two billion doses to developing countries and regions by the end of 2021. As of Friday, 54 million doses had been delivered to 121 participants of the program.
India was supposed to deliver one billion shots through COVAX, but the plan has been halted due to the ongoing severe outbreak in the country.
With a huge supply-demand gap, the world is in urgent need for Chinese vaccines. In most low-income regions, Chinese vaccines are the only choice they have. This comes as the US and Europe are busy grabbing and overbuying shots for themselves, experts said.
The emergency approval for Chinese vaccines will largely expand COVAX supply as China's production is likely to reach five billion doses by the end of this year, Tao Lina, a Shanghai-based vaccine expert, told the Global Times on Saturday.
Chinese manufacturers are already providing vaccines to about 80 countries. The Global Times learned from Sinovac, another Chinese manufacturer whose COVID-19 vaccine is undergoing WHO review for EUL and the result is scheduled to come out next week, that they had produced 300 million doses as of April 28 with about 60 percent being delivered overseas.
On Thursday, Sinopharm announced the completion of phase-three construction of its production factory for the Beijing institute vaccine. It is the world's largest COVID-19 vaccine production factory and will ramp up the group's production capacity to three billion per year.
Sinovac has said that their production capacity will reach two billion doses per year after their production factory is completed in June.
Some experts have expressed concerns over challenges in delivery and application. Especially due to the underdeveloped infrastructure in most developing regions, but Chinese manufacturers are making efforts to tackle these challenges.
The Sinopharm product is an inactivated vaccine called SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell) that can be delivered through common cold chain with temperatures between 2 C and 8 C. While Moderna vaccine has to be stored in a temperature of at least -20 C, while the Pfizer vaccine at -70 C.
Sinopharm vaccine's easy storage requirements make it highly suitable for low-resource settings, WHO said in a statement on Friday.
It is also the first vaccine that will carry a vaccine vial monitor. The vial monitor is a small sticker on the vaccine vial that change color when the vaccine is exposed to heat, letting health workers know whether the vaccine can be safely used, according to the statement.
The sticker clearly shows the degree of over exposure to high temperatures and ensure the safety of the vaccine's application in different environments, Tao said.
China can assist regions with unsatisfactory infrastructure conditions with cold-chain vehicles as well as training for health workers on vaccination, experts noted.
Some foreign news medias had long been questioning the efficacy and safety of the Sinopharm vaccine due to fewer data on its clinical trials. The data had not been released until the latest document uploaded by the WHO on the assessment of Sinopharm's vaccine.
The WHO document confirms experts have an "overall confidence" in its ability to prevent COVID-19, while having "low confidence" on the risk of side effects for older patients.
WHO said in the Friday statement that they are not recommending an upper age limit for the vaccine because preliminary data and supportive immunogenicity data suggest the vaccine is likely to have a protective effect in older people. "There is no theoretical reason to believe that the vaccine has a different safety profile in older and younger populations."
North Macedonian PM receives China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine
In the safety ranking, the top four are all Chinese vaccines
- reported by The New York Times on Feb 5, 2021.
1. Sinopharm (China)
2. Sinovac (China)
3. Kexing (China)
4. Can Sino (China)
5. AstraZeneca (UK)
6. Pfizer (United States and Germany)
7. Modena (United States)
8. Johnson & Johnson (United States)
9. Novavax (United States)
10. Satellite 5 (Russia)
Sinopharm has two vaccines, ranking first and second respectively.
China has exported more than 500 million doses of vaccines to more than 50 countries around the world, and it is estimated that hundreds of millions of people have been vaccinated. And China's vaccine accident rate is lower and safer.
As reported by Western media, many wealthy people in Britain fly to the UAE to vaccinate Chinese national medicine.
People gather near the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in South China's Hainan Province to watch the launching of Tianhe space station core module. (Photo:web)
China's successful space mission which involved sending into space the core module of its Tianhe space station lit up Chinese social media on Thursday, with netizens cheering the launch, expressing their patriotism and best wishes to the development of China's deep space exploration.
The Long March-5B Y2 rocket, carrying the Tianhe module, blasted off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in South China's Hainan Province around 11 am on Thursday. Video clips of the launch soon went viral on Chinese social media and received more than 2 million views within one hour on China's Twitter-like Weibo, the Global Times found.
Weibo was flooded with excitement and national pride. "I burst into tears watching the launch video - We Chinese will have a 'home' in space!" one user wrote. "I hope my motherland can rise and skyrocket like Tianhe," he added.
More users forwarded videos with the popular sentence "Our (conquest) journey is the sea of stars!" to express their love and ambitious expectations for China's space industry.
"In the past we missed the Age of Discovery, which was the beginning of evil colonization," a user said. "Now, we begin our own peaceful 'age of space discovery.'"
People gather near the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in South China's Hainan Province to watch the launching of Tianhe space station core module. (Photo:web)
Before Tianhe's launch, audio of a collection of pulsar signals recently captured by the 500-meter aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST)—also known as China's Tianyan or "Sky Eye"—was seen spread widely on social media earlier on Thursday by exhilarated Chinese netizens.
Weibo users paid tribute to the deceased former chief engineer of FAST Nan Rendong, and said the pulsar signals were "rhythmic" and sounded like a music tempo or Morse codes.
"The pulsars must be very talented DJs," a user wrote. "I almost danced with the beats."
Another user mentioned the signals that FAST seized at Hercules sounded much faster than pulsars. "Hercules seems very excited," she joked. "The signals there are like the sound of firecrackers — is Hercules celebrating Chinese New Year?"
Impressed by faraway sounds and the wonder of the universe that Chinese technology has shown to them, many netizens shared with great interest their expectations on China's further deep space exploration in the near future.
"China is building a 'villa' in space; I hope that one day we ordinary people can also travel into space and live in the Chinese-made 'villas,'" a Weibo user wrote. "I'm looking forward to that day."
It is possible that China's space station will be the only working station after 2024, when the International Space Station (ISS) is expected to retire, Chinese experts earlier predicted. "Considering the lack of funds of the ISS members, now it's a good time for China to catch up with and surpass them," said another Weibo user.
The launching of Tianhe and the pulsar signals captured by FAST gave Chinese people a strong impetus, on Thursday said user with the ID "youjinshaojiang."
"In today's world filled with epidemics, disasters and hostility, those who insist on looking up at the stars and exploring the universe are definitely the light of hope and civilization to mankind," she wrote on Weibo.
China's Space Station expected to be operational by around 2022. By: Global Times | Published: Apr 29, 2021 01:47 PM. It will take 11 rocket launches in 2 years to complete the building of China's first space station.
China on Thursday successfully sent into space Tianhe core module of space station. This marks China's space
construction entering the full implementation stage. It's a crucial step forward for China's manned space program. Hundreds of millions of Chinese people felt inspired by the success.
The virus is back, this time with more energy, tactics and camouflage.
We don't cough
No fever, it's joint pain, weakness,
Loss of appetite and Covid pneumonia!
Of course, the death rate is higher, it takes less time to get to the extreme. Sometimes no symptoms ... let's be careful ...
The strain is not domiciled in our nasopharyngeal region!
It directly affects the lungs, which means window periods are shortened.
I have seen a number of patients without fever, but an x-ray report shows moderate chest pneumonia!
The nasal swab is often negative for COVID19!
There are more and more false pharyngeal nasal tests COVID19) ... which means that the virus spreads directly to the lungs causing acute respiratory distress due to viral pneumonia! This explains why it has become acute and more fatal !!!Covid21
Be careful, avoid crowded places, wear a face mask, wash our hands often.
*WAVE* more deadly than the first. So we have to be very careful and *take every precaution.*
Indian people with COVID-19 symptoms queue for an Antigen Test at a government hospital. Photo: VCG
India’s COVID-19 epidemic has continued to rage on. China has become India’s largest supplier of crucial anti-epidemic supplies such as oxygen generators and ventilators. So far, China has provided India with more than 20,000 oxygen generators and 5,000 ventilators. India has submitted orders to Chinese companies to produce over 40,000 units of oxygen generators. However, Indian public opinion has not expressed its gratitude toward China for the emergency supplies, or it can be said that grateful voices have been very few. In contrast, many narratives have stressed that China's supplies are not aid, accusing China of “exploiting the opportunity to make money,” and claiming that it has "geopolitical intentions" to export these goods to India. Such rhetoric in India is in sharp contrast to their high-profile publicity on help from the US and the West. The Chinese people will certainly be disappointed after reading such opinions.
In terms of public opinion, Chinese and Indian societies have not got along well. Border tensions last year escalated sentiments on both sides, leading to a confrontation of public opinion. India has leaned closer to the US, further solidifying the social divide between China and India. This has become the background in which India is dealing with China in the face of a crisis.
China has made the greatest contribution to India’s current fight against the epidemic. Instead of being purely symbolic, China’s support and help has been very substantial. There is no atmosphere of public appreciation of China’s help in India. There is still a lot of resentment over border frictions and strategic hostility toward China. Out of a sense of pride, India has taken a lot of goods from Chinese companies, but has remained silent toward the fact. Hindustan Times has listed ten countries and regions that have started sending relief materials to India, and what kinds of materials they have supplied. But China is not on the list.
In the face of such a response from India, what should we do? Should we publicly accuse India of “repaying good with evil?” or turn our long-standing grievances toward India into mockery, even gloat about the Indian epidemic? I don’t think it is appropriate for us to be overly sensitive toward India’s reaction, especially going further to mock India's failure to fight the virus.
The official mindset of Chinese society toward India’s epidemic situation must be sympathetic and supportive of their battle against it, and this is indeed the case. I don’t think it’s proper for social media accounts of certain Chinese official institutions or other influential forces to mock India at present.
India has indeed done something wrong toward China. Even today when India is in trouble and China is lending it a helping hand, India still holds a grudge and remains narrow-minded. But currently, our prevailing attitude toward India should be still to show our sympathy and support, without being distracted by other sentiments. There is plenty of time and occasions for us to express our views regarding India. And we do not have to speak up upon them when India is struggling against the virus. We should not respond to radical voices in India, instead we should avoid escalating the spat between China and India among public opinion.
Although India has talked little about it, we have to say that China has done a magnificent job in supplying and supporting India. It is necessary for us to make the world more clearly aware of China’s actual role. Meanwhile, not like the US, the Indian government has not attacked China’s fight against the virus, nor has passed the buck to China. Currently, India is not only falling into a humanitarian disaster, but has become weak in the eyes of the rest of the world. The Chinese government proposed to offer India necessary support and assistance much earlier than Western countries. And our supplies have been provided to them with amazing speed, faster than any other country.
I understand that there are many voices and the public has their right to express various sentiments toward India. So do some figures who have many followers on social media platforms. But our public opinion, especially mainstream opinion, needs to follow the Chinese government’s narratives and moves as a whole, forming the tone of sympathy and support for India's fight against the virus. This is an indispensable part of China's national image.
We need to believe that actions speak louder than words. China’s supplies play a crucial role in India’s battle against the virus. We cannot ignore border frictions between China and India, but the bond formed through China’s substantial support to India’s anti-epidemic fight is also there. China and India are neighbors that cannot be moved away from each other. Apart from many frictions, China is India’s close neighbor which is better than a distant relative in the critical time of a crisis. As long as China does its best to bolster India’s fight against the virus, it will certainly become a factor in shaping Indians’ general perceptions of China.
China is a big country with a long history of civilization. Our national and international outlook has been shaped through thousands of years of experience. We should not be influenced by the logic of power which has been prevailing in the US and the West. When stepping up the construction of hard power, we cannot neglect the significance of “convincing people by virtue.” For China, virtue is not hypocrisy. Instead, it is our dignity and strength, which is one of the cornerstones of our international mobilization.
A patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) receives treatment inside the emergency ward at Holy Family hospital in New
Delhi, India, April 29, 2021. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-coronavirus-infections-cross-18-million-2021-04-29/
Govt denies reports of problems with its vaccine campaign
BENGALURU: India’s total Covid-19 cases passed 18 million after another world record daily infection, as the government rejected reports of problems with its vaccine campaign.
India reported 379,257 new Covid-19 cases and 3,645 new deaths yesterday, according to health ministry data. It was the highest number of deaths reported in a single day in India since the start of the pandemic.
India’s best hope to curb its second deadly wave of Covid-19 was to vaccinate its vast population, said experts, and on Wednesday it opened registrations for everyone above the age of 18 to be given jabs from tomorrow.
But the country, which is one of the world’s biggest producers of vaccines, does not have the stocks for the estimated 600 million people who will be eligible.
Many who tried to sign up said they failed, complaining on social media that they could not get a slot or they simply could not get online to register as the website repeatedly crashed.
“Statistics indicate that far from crashing or performing slowly, the system is performing without any glitches,” the government said in a statement on Wednesday.
The government said more than eight million people had registered for the vaccinations, but it was not immediately clear how many had got slots.
About 9% of India’s population have received one dose since the vaccination campaign began in January with healthworkers and then the elderly.
The second wave of infections has overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums and prompted an increasingly urgent response from allies overseas sending equipment.
“India’s outbreak is a humanitarian crisis,” US Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said on Twitter.
“I’m leading a letter to @moderna_tx, @pfizer, and @jnjnews to find out what steps they’re taking to expand global access to their vaccines to save lives and prevent variants from spreading around the world,” she said.
Two planes from Russia, carrying 20 oxygen concentrators, 75 ventilators, 150 bedside monitors, and medicines totalling 22 metric tonnes, arrived in the capital Delhi yesterday.
Delhi is reporting one death from Covid-19 every four minutes and ambulances have been taking the bodies of Covid-19 victims to makeshift crematorium facilities in parks and parking lots, where bodies burned on rows and rows of funeral pyres.
The US State Department issued a travel advisory warning on Wednesday against travel to India because of the pandemic and approved the voluntary departure of family members of US government employees in India.
A country of nearly 1.4 billion people, India thought the worst was over when cases ebbed in September.
But mass public gatherings such as political rallies and religious events that were allowed to continue, and relaxed attitudes on the risks fed by leaders touting victory over the virus led to what now has become a major humanitarian crisis, health experts say.
New variants of the virus have also partly led the surge.
Amid the crisis, voting for the eighth and final phase of the West Bengal state elections began yesterday, even as the devastating surge of infections continues to barrel across the country with a ferocious speed, filling crematoriums and graveyards.
More than eight million people are expected to vote in at least 11,860 polling stations across the state. A commission said distancing measures would be in place.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have faced criticism over the last few weeks for holding huge election rallies in the state, which health experts suggest might have driven the surge there too.
Other political parties also participated in rallies.
The state recorded more than 17,000 cases in the last 24 hours – its highest spike since the pandemic began. — Agencies
Sinopharm vaccine File photo:VCG
