Malaysia’s daily vaccination rate exceeds world average, nation on right track to achieve herd immunity
The country’s daily vaccination rate, which now exceeds the world average for daily vaccinations per capita, means that Malaysia is on the right track to achieving herd immunity, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. He said the latest development would enable the country to achieve herd immunity in the near future and, subsequently, return to normalcy. “Daily vaccination (in Malaysia) lately has consistently reached 250,000 doses of vaccine jabs per day and is targeted to reach 300,000 doses of vaccine jabs a day from this month,” he said. A total of 291,217 doses of Covid-19 vaccines were administered on Sunday, bringing the total number to 11,366,710 doses given out so far. He also urged the public to continue to practise ‘self lockdown’ by staying at home and to only go out if necessary, as well as to comply with the stipulated SOP to reduce the infectivity rate within the community. The increase in the rate of infection is due to several key factors, including the detection of new variants that have a more serious impact on individuals and spread faster than normal infections. (The Edge)
‘We need to clear the 50% vaccination bar due to variants’
With Covid-19 variants now loose in the community, health experts say the immunisation rate has to exceed 50% for the country to see a reduction in cases and hospitalisation, even if six states are in Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP). Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia health economics, hospital and health management Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said in countries that had vaccinated at least 50% of their population, there was a higher chance to reduce virus transmission, hospital admissions and deaths. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia epidemiologist Assoc Prof Dr Azmi Mohd Tamil agreed that countries where the immunisation rate has exceeded 50% of the population have seen a reduction in new cases and a drastic drop in the number of deaths. Universiti Malaya virologist Prof Dr Sazaly Abu Bakar said Covid-19 vaccinations would only help to bring down the number of those contracting a severe infection, but would not necessarily reduce the number of infections as seen in many other countries with high vaccination rates. He suggested the government also start looking into booster immunisation vaccines now as they might be needed by November due to the reduced efficacy rates in light of the new variants. In Malaysia, the Delta and Beta variants have already been reported in the community. The Health Ministry has also recently raised concerns about the Lambda variant that is said to be more infectious than the Delta variant. (The Star)
No advertisement placed by KPKT on affordable homes
The Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) today denied placing an advertisement on application for affordable housing costing as low as RM30,000 under the Myhome & Mydeposit 2021 Scheme and RM60,000 aid for building of house on own land under the Housing Loan Scheme (SPP). Instead, the ministry only opened applications for the People’s Housing Program (PPR), Housing for Civil Servants, PR1MA Housing and Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad, it said in a statement. The statement was issued following public complaints and inquiries received by the ministry on the alleged advertisement. On the price of houses under the PPR Dimiliki programme, the ministry said it is RM35,000 per unit in the peninsula and RM42,000 in Sabah and Sarawak. Any inquiries and information on housing schemes offered by the ministry can be obtained at the ministry’s official website at https://www.kpkt.gov.my, the National Housing Department website at https://ehome.kpkt.gov.my and https://teduh.kpkt.gov.my. (The Edge)
Grand-Flo is now NCT Alliance, to focus exclusively on property development
NCT Alliance Sdn Bhd (NCT Alliance), a provider of information technology services, has completed its corporate name change exercise. Previously known as Grand-Flo Sdn Bhd (Grand-Flo), NCT Alliance now intends to focus exclusively on property development. Executive chairman and group managing director Datuk Sri Yap Ngan Choy said the new corporate name and identity is in line with the company’s aspiration to position NCT Alliance as a leading property developer with specialisation in the rehabilitation of abandoned projects. Yap said the company is progressing well and is on track with its ongoing projects. NCT Alliance has undertaken several property development projects, including Grand Ion Majestic (GIM), Grand Ion Delemen (GID), Mahkota Kampar, and Acacia Residences. (NST Online)
MEF: Proposed guidelines for the fully vaccinated should be clear and consistent, with proper SOP
The proposed guidelines for individuals who have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine should be clear and consistent to protect the health and safety of employees and the public. Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) president Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman said the guidelines should also include proper standard operating procedures (SOP) because there is no guarantee that those who completed both doses would be fully protected against Covid-19. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba had said recently he would present proposed guidelines for those who have completed vaccination to the National Security Council (NSC). Syed Hussain said the authorities should ensure that the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme and related guidelines include awareness programmes on the benefits and risks of vaccination. MEF also urged the authorities to involve industry stakeholders, medical practitioners, as well as experts in other fields in the formulation of the SOPs to ensure their practicality and effectiveness. “There should only be one policy for the proposed guidelines under one agency to handle all the queries,” he added. (The Star)
