Fighting vaccine hesitancy with information, trust

‘It appears that vaccine hesitancy is due to lack of information and trust. Despite the government's assurances about Covid-19 vaccines, which include repeated television announcements by Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Health Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, many people are still hesitant to get inoculated, with some cynically telling their friends and relatives: "It's not that I don't trust the vaccines, but let's wait and see what happens to the people who will get their shots first."

‘Since efforts to build trust in public institutions, such as the Health Ministry, have been made, we need more sound bites, including building a more credible perception of the vaccines' safety and effectiveness. Hence it is good to ensure that politicians from both sides of the divide, officials and prominent figures, are among the first to be vaccinated. Leading by example, the prime minister would be among the first to be immunised when the National Immunisation Plan gets underway by the end of this month.

‘The authorities must boost public awareness of vaccine development and production, as well as their importance during a pandemic, and at the same, debunk myths. They must explain that the vaccines will not make the virus disappear since it is already too wide spread. They should also tell the public that the vaccines could prevent its spread and reduce its severity.’

Read here (New Straits Times, Feb 7, 2021) 

Approve Ivermectin as Plan B for vaccination

‘On Jan 22, it was announced that the Ministry of Health (MOH) would be conducting clinical trials for two medicines, Ivermectin and Favipiravi, to determine their efficacy in treating Covid-19. Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has acknowledged that Ivermectin "is cheap, easily available and safe for use." But in Malaysia, it is only licensed for use in animals...

‘In view of the worsening case on Covid-19 infections in our country, many unanswered questions and lack of data on the long term safety aspects of the Pfizer experimental mRNA vaccine (which our country has already been ordered) and the current production problems faced by vaccine manufacturers overseas (with the possibility of delays), the government here should have a "PLAN B".

‘It should quickly approve Ivermectin to provide a safe, cheap and effective "weapon" against Covid-19. The clinical trials by MOH on the efficacy of Ivermectin can continue but we should not need to wait (and let many more people suffer and die from Covid-19 in the meantime) since Ivermectin has ALREADY been PROVEN to be VERY SAFE over the last 30 years or so.

‘What have we got to lose by approving Ivermectin today in Malaysia as an option for doctors to prescribe against Covid-19?’

Read here (New Straits Times, Feb 7, 2021)

NST editor under quarantine at MAEPS 2.0 shares 'humbling' experience

‘The ambience was quite festive with laughter and banter, not solemn, quiet and sedated as I had expected it to be. The residents — not patients — as I prefer to be called since I didn't feel any pain or discomfort, were either talking to each other at their beds or walking but not aimlessly. There were none within my sight seen lying on the bed covered by the thick white hospital blankets. But these were not the usual hospital beds, they were portable and foldable camp beds made of aluminium frames and canvas covers...

‘As I completed my first 24 hours at PKRC MAEPS 2.0, I had to admit that it was not too bad at all. The facilities were good — clean toilets/showers, two surau even though the spaces were quite small and food which was quite tasty though I wished for a bigger portion of vegetables. Truly, it was a most humbling experience. But my utmost appreciation went to the staff, everyone from the medical personnel to service staff and Rela personnel.’

Read here (News Straits Times, Jan 20, 2021)

BioNTech warns against delaying second vaccine dose

‘German firm BioNTech warned Tuesday there is no data backing the "safety and efficacy" of delaying the second shot of its Covid-19 vaccine beyond three weeks, as some countries push back the jab to give more people their first dose. BioNTech, which developed the vaccine with US giant Pfizer, said its clinical data showing 95 percent efficacy was based on a two-dose schedule separated by 21 days. "The safety and efficacy of the vaccine has not been evaluated on different dosing schedules," it said. "Although data... demonstrated that there is a partial protection from the vaccine as early as 12 days after the first dose, there is no data to demonstrate that protection after the first dose is sustained after 21 days."

Read here (New Straits Times, Jan 5, 2021) 

Movement control orders are not the way to defeat Covid-19: Academy of Professors Malaysia (APM)

Here are their suggestions in seven parts:

1. Red Zones with more than 40 new daily cases should continue to be under EMCO, but the rest of the country should return to RMCO. Perhaps these acronyms could best be replaced with number codes in order to avoid the misconceptions.
2. The continued detection of localised outbreaks (clusters) should continue. However, since the Covid-19 infection survival rate is 99.9 per cent for healthy people under 70, to achieve an optimal balance between health, social wellbeing, and the economy, the emphasis should be on "focused protection" and "targeted approach" for those at risk while allowing the less vulnerable to work and go to school. (a) Young and healthy adults and children above the age of 12 should be allowed to go back to school and work. (b) People with co-morbidities regardless of age and the elderly should stay at home. (c) People who go to work and school should be taught how to clean themselves and how to approach vulnerable family members when they return home. These measures should be taught on media, at the workplace and at school.
3. As advocated earlier, people should be taught and continually reminded about carrying out the responsibility of protecting themselves against Covid-19 by practicing the 3W and 3C as the daily norms. The public should also be educated on the level of risk of getting an infection from activities so as to avoid the activities that are high risk, for example avoiding bars, indoor close contact, meetings and parties, eating in crowded indoor restaurants, etc. Activities outside, with physical distancing, is generally low risk and since we need the sun to produce Vitamin D, exercising outside should be encouraged.
4. That the SOPs need to be well defined, complete and accurate to avoid confusion. For instance, the misunderstanding on the usage of masks during fuelling at petrol stations, and the restriction of travelling together and eating at a table in restaurants, while the group may be from the same household, hence sharing the same living environment and air. Such restrictions may further increase the risk of depression, lethargy, and family discord of being cooped up for too long.
5. That nutritional education on the right food would assist the development of a stronger immune system. Get nutritionists and dieticians on board in the media to tell people what to eat, how to prepare and cook and when to eat is as important as showing people how to exercise in the mornings.
6. The creation of platforms for people with mental health issues to reach out to either at the university, healthcare, organisational or even individual level and if possible make it free so that anyone can get help when needed.
7. That the message of keeping the vulnerable and high risk groups safe should be constantly reaffirmed and resonated to the public via media and to communities. It is important to make sure that people above 70 and anyone who has chronic diseases do not get infected.

Read here (New Straits Times, Nov 14, 2020)

Malaysians ignoring SOPs at own peril: R0 at 1.36 on July 23

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the infectivity rate, or R0 (R-naught), was at 1.36 in the country. He said this was an increase from the rate of 0.3 after the Movement Control Order (MCO) and Conditional MCO were enforced.

"If our R0 continues to increase, we worry that more people will be infected. Right now, it is at 1.36, but once it goes above 1.6, there is a risk that cases may spike in the near future," he said at a press conference yesterday. Dr Noor Hisham said before the MCO was implemented, the R0 was 3.55, which meant that one person could infect 3.55 people.

Read here (New Straits Times, July 24, 2020)

Mixed reactions as SOPs rule the day

‘As we're deadlocked on how to jumpstart the economy or flatten the curve, it'd be useful to reflect what Gerald R. Ford, the 38th United States president (American presidents were taken seriously until very recently), had to say on dubiety: "History and experience tell us that moral progress comes not in comfortable and complacent times, but out of trial and confusion." There you go, we still have to fine-tune many issues before the "new normal" settles in. Whatever the procedures, there must be greater uniformity as tales of different strokes for different folk were aplenty in the treatment of some MCO offenders.’

Read here (New Straits Times, May 8, 2020)

Covid-19 crisis forces Penang to review PSP, Penang 2030 vision

‘The Penang government will review the Penang Structure Plan (PSP) 2030 and Penang 2030 vision as it grapples with fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘State Local Government, Housing Development and Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said that both documents are crucial to map out the future of Penang – however, current circumstances have affected their implementation.’

View here (New Straits Times, April 23, 2020)