Thursday, May 20, 2021

Media Statement MKN 20 Mei 2021

By: Hanis Sofia

The tightened movement control order (PKPD) will be implemented in 15 townships in Besut District, Terengganu, and four townships in Perak from this Saturday to June 4.

Fifteen mukims in Besut are Kampung Raja, Keluang, Lubuk Kawah, Bukit Kenak, Pelagat, Jabi, Tembila, Bukit Puteri, Kerandang, Pengkalan Nangka, Kuala Besut, Pasir Akar, Kubang Bemban, Tenang and Hulu Besut.

The four mukims in Perak consist of Pengkalan Hulu in Hulu Perak, Taiping in Larut, Matang and Selama, Hulu Bernam Timur in the Muallim district and Hulu Kinta which covers Ipoh, Lahat, Chemor and Tanjong Rambutan in the Kinta district.

Senior Minister (Security), Ismail Sabri Yaakob said, the Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed nine of the 17 active clusters in Terengganu involving Besut which contributed to the surge in Covid-19 cases in the state with high infection rates in the community.

He said the MOH recorded a jump of 119.3% in Perak from May 5 to 18, which was 2,035 cases compared to 928 cases from April 12 to May 4, which also involved the four townships.

"The implementation of PKPD is to control the movement of people in all sub-districts, further curbing the spread of Covid-19 infection to other communities," he said in a statement.

PKPD was also implemented in several localities in Pahang, Kelantan, Sabah, and Sarawak for two weeks starting this Saturday, following the increase in Covid-19 cases.

Rumah Banjir Kuala Teh at Jerantut, Pahang
Kampung Terusan, Township Limbat, Pasir Tumboh, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Kepulauan Tumpat at Township Sungai Pinang, Tumpat, Kelantan
Kampung Idani at Semporna, Sabah
Kampung Pisang at Tawau, Sabah
Kampung Getah, Kampung Getah Tengah and Taman Kunak Jaya at Kunak, Sabah
Kampung Boyan at Kuching, Sarawak.

Ismail said the PKPD at Pantai Manis Religious Secondary School in Papar, Sabah was extended from tomorrow, while Kampung Baru Sempalit, Taman Sempalit Aman, Taman Emas Baru, Taman Sempalit Indah, Taman Sempalit Jaya, Taman Sempalit Baru, and Taman Emas were extended from this Saturday.

He said the PKPD extension was also implemented on Sungai Ruan, Raub involving Taman Dahlia, Taman Cempaka, Taman Mawar, Taman Melor, Taman KSM Sungai Ruan, Taman Bunga Matahari, Taman Mawar Impian, Taman Orkid, Taman Bunga Raya, Taman Koperasi Mewah, Taman Bunga Tanjung, Sungai Ruan Cheap House, Taman Sungai Ruan, Taman Melewar, Taman Bunga Angsana and Kampung Baru Sungai Ruan.

He said the PKPD at the Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School in Bandar Penawar, Kota Tinggi, Johor will be terminated according to schedule tomorrow.

In another development, Ismail said, 495 people were arrested for violating the SOP of the movement control order yesterday, with 468 of them being compounded and 27 others remanded.

Among the offenses were failing to record personal details/check-in premises (143), not wearing face masks (126), non -compliance with movement control instructions (84), no physical imprisonment (47), entertainment center activities (15), cross-state/ districts without permission (8) and others (72).

He said 29 illegal immigrants were detained and eight land vehicles were seized through Operation Benteng yesterday.

World Health Assembly to focus on ending COVID-19 pandemic and preparing for next one

by: Hanis Sophia

In a year when COVID-19 threatens the health and well-being of everyone on the planet, the seventy-fourth session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) will stress the urgency of ending the current pandemic and preventing the next one by building a healthier, safer, and fairer world.

The Health Assembly is WHO’s highest decision-making body and is attended by delegations from all around the world. It will also be open to Associate Members, Observers, invited representatives of the UN and other participating inter-governmental organizations, and non-State actors. This year’s session will run from 24 May to 1 June 2021, and be held virtually.

Over the past year, cases of COVID-19 rose 40-fold to 162 million globally, while the number of deaths has increased 11 times, to more than 3.3 million.

The pandemic has hit all countries hard, but its impact has been harshest on those communities which were already vulnerable, who are more exposed to the disease, less likely to have access to quality health care services, and more likely to experience adverse consequences (such as loss of income) as a result of measures implemented to contain the pandemic.

“A crisis often brings out the best in people and organizations,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “From the WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to our technical guidance, the Solidarity Trial, the UN Supply Chain Task Force, the OpenWHO.org learning platform and initiatives like the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, including its COVAX partnership, and the Solidarity Response Fund, WHO has given countries effective and evidence-informed tools to prevent infections, save lives and maintain essential health services. I am especially proud of the incredible work that WHO staff have done all over the world in the past 17 months to support countries to put these tools to work.”

But the pandemic is far from over and the global response is at a critical phase. Stark contrasts still undermine progress, with vaccine inequity being one of the most urgent issues, posing a threat to ending the pandemic and to global recovery – over 75% of all vaccine doses have been administered in only 10 countries; the lowest income countries have administered less than half a percent of global doses.

"This year's World Health Assembly will play a vital role in shaping the global health architecture of the future, and in strengthening WHO to fulfill its mission and mandate", added Dr. Tedros.

The Assembly’s agenda will focus on the health-related Sustainable Development Goals and WHO’s Triple Billion targets of one billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage; one billion better protected from health emergencies, and one billion more enjoying better health and well-being.

WHO's result report will also be presented during WHA.

A high-level segment will take place on 24 May (10:00 -12:00 CEST) with participation from Heads of State and Governments and special guests, as well as an address by the WHO Director-General.

The Assembly’s two Committees - Committee A, which deals with predominantly program and budget matters, and Committee B, which deals mainly with administrative, financial, and legal matters – will then consider the individual agenda items. Highlights include:

Proposed program budget 2022–2023
WHO’s work in Health Emergencies, the COVID-19 response, including mental health preparedness for and response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation, and intellectual property
Global action on patient safety
WHO global strategy on health, environment, and climate change
Noncommunicable diseases
Antimicrobial resistance
Immunization Agenda 2030
Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery
Poliomyelitis
WHO transformation

Three reports on COVID-19 response will be presented at the Assembly: the Health Emergencies Programme’s Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee (IOC), the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, and the Review Committee on the Functioning of the International Health Regulations (2005) during the COVID-19 Response.

By: Hanis Sophia

The daily COVID-19 case today once again recorded the highest number in 24 hours with 6,806 new infections recorded making the total now 492,302.

Yesterday, the country recorded a total daily case of 6,075.

During the same period, the number of deaths due to COVID-19 also increased with the addition of 59 new deaths making the cumulative total of 2,099 cases.

According to the Director-General of Health, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the state of Selangor still recorded the highest number of daily cases of 2,277 cases followed by Kuala Lumpur (655 cases) and Johor (245 cases).

The following is a breakdown of cases by state:

Selangor - 2,277

Sabah - 245

Johor - 615

WPKL - 655

Sarawak - 608

P Pinang - 362

N Nine - 291

Kelantan -426

Perak - 248

Kedah - 417

Melaka - 212

Pahang - 157

Terengganu - 233

WP Labuan - 17

WP Putrajaya - 35

Perlis - 8

Of the number of new cases reported, Dr Noor Hisham informed, two cases received the infection from abroad.

"There are currently 50,171 active cases with COVID-19 infectiousness," he said in a statement on Thursday.

To date, the number of patients treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is 587 people and of that number, 330 require respiratory assistance.

Meanwhile, the number of cured patients today recorded an increase of 3,916 making the total number of cured cases now at 440,032.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has detected the addition of 24 more new clusters covering the workplace, community, religion and education.

The following are details for each new cluster.

Cluster Jalan Bunga Azalea

The case involves the district of Hulu Selangor, Selangor.