Day: June 21, 2021

The Malaysian Armed Forces’ (ATM) Combat Medic Vaccination Team (CMVT) today flew COVID-19 vaccine to remote Ba’kelalan in Sarawak’s Limbang Division, located about 1,081 kilometres from here to help make the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) a success.

The 1 Infantry Division Headquarters in a statement today said the team consisting of two medical officers and seven paramedics were deployed to Ba’kelalan from Miri Airport aboard an RMAF EC 725 aircraft at 9 am and arrived about 40 minutes later.

“The CMVT team is expected to start the vaccination process from June 22 to 27 involving residents in Ba’kelalan and Long Semado with a target of more than 1,000 recipients,” said the statement.

So far, there are five vaccination locations in rural areas in three Divisions in Sarawak that have been identified, namely Limbang, Kapit and Sibu with the vaccine delivery process using air, water and land routes.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

— A total of RM231 million has been allocated by all agencies under the Ministry of Rural Development (KPLB) to assist affected groups during the Movement Control Order (MCO) 3.0.

Its minister, Datuk Dr Abdul Latif Ahmad, said the assistance and incentives would benefit 833,197 entrepreneurs, tenants, and borrowers to keep them going and to increase their income.

“Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) is continuing with the existing incentives under the MARA Assistance Package 3.0: Peace of Mind 3.0, rescheduling of MARA financing payments, and rental discounts for tenants of MARA business premises,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, the incentives offered under the Regional Development Authority (LKW) are exemption from business premises fees and land rental; deferment of house rent and loan payments; as well as restructuring and expanding entrepreneurship programmes by the agency.

The Regional Development Authorities involved are Penang (Perda), Johor (Kejora), south Kelantan (Kesedar), Kedah (Keda) and central Terengganu (Ketengah).

Abdul Latif said other agencies under the ministry such as the Community Development Department (KEMAS) and Orang Asli Development Department (JAKOA) also offer moratorium incentives, assistance, courses and food baskets to the Orang Asli community.

In addition, KPLB will also continue three assistance programmes under the people’s housing project for the hardcore poor (PPRT), Career Skills Training Programme (PLKK) and Economic Improvement Programmes (PPP) to support the National Rehabilitation Strategic Plan.

“PPRT will continue to be implemented during the National Recovery Plan period with an additional target of 200 new construction projects and 5,800 refurbishment projects, involving an allocation of RM142 million,” he said.

He said PLKK also allocated RM10 million to provide career training opportunities, especially for the lower-income group (B40) in rural areas.

While PPP assists the target group from the hardcore poor, the poor and the B40 to increase their current income through the ceiling fund of RM10,000 per recipient, involving an allocation of RM7 million.

To assist rural entrepreneurs, KPLB also carried out DesaMall@KPLB programme, Jana Niaga MARA Shopee programme, and eKUD@KPLB programme to expand the group’s marketing of products and services through e-commerce platform.

“With the current year’s allocation of RM1 million, KPLB is targeting 1,000 products of rural entrepreneurs to be marketed on e-commerce platforms this year,” he said.

Meanwhile, to support the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme, KPLB would mobilise manpower and assets to assist the country achieve the herd immunity target by 2022.

He said KPLB has activated all the 191 Rural Community Centres (PKD) nationwide to be used as Rural Vaccination Registration Centres from May 20 until June 15 and has registered 6,558 individuals.

Abdul Latif said KPLB would also intensify its target to register about 30 per cent of the 7.73 million rural communities.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

— Mosques and surau in the federal territories are allowed to hold the animal sacrificial rites in conjunction with Aidiladha, said Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (JAWI) director Datuk Mohd Ajib Ismail.

However, he said the sacrificial rites would only be allowed to be held at designated locations such as the Department of Veterinary Services’ (DVS) slaughterhouses and licensed private ruminant slaughterhouses.

“The sacrificial meat must be distributed directly to recipients which include the poor, frontliners and several target groups,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, Mohd Ajib said the implementation of sacrificial rites in open areas other than mosques and surau were also allowed, subject to approval from local authorities, JAWI and district health offices.

According to him, only five animals are allowed to be slaughtered a day, while the number of attendees at the slaughter site must not exceed 12 people.

“The permission given is also subject to the set standard operating procedures,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

— The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (MOTAC) has extended the exemption period for licence renewal fee as well as additional licences for tourism operators and tourist guides who applied for renewal from July 1 until Dec 31, 2021.

MOTAC, in a statement today, said this was among the initiatives to help ease the burden of tourism industry players who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It said that the ministry would also provide the fee exemption to tourism operators and tourist guides who have yet to receive approval for licence renewal due to the Movement Control Order (MCO).

The fee exemption is also given to tourism operators and tourist guides who have obtained the approval for licence renewal but were unable to make the payment due to the MCO.

“With the extension of the initiative, the ministry hopes that eligible tourism operators and tour guides will take the opportunity to apply for renewal within the stipulated period according to the expiration date of their respective licences,” the statement read.

MOTAC also called on all tourism operators and tour guides to renew their licences within the stipulated period to ensure compliance with existing legislation.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Yoga has become a source of inner strength among people amid the novel coronavirus pandemic and inculcated faith in them that they could fight the virus.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this in his televised address to the nation on the occasion of the 7th Edition of International Day of Yoga (IDY) celebrated today (June 21),

“Yoga not only focuses on physical health but also mental health. During COVID, several studies are going on, researching the benefits of yoga on our body and immunity,” said Modi, who is considered as the living testament on the benefits of yoga.

Like pointed out by Modi, a Malaysian Yoga master SK Durai also concurred that at a time when the COVID-19 affects the lungs most, breathing exercises to strengthen the lungs, besides improving functionality of the respiratory organs can help.

“Some breathing exercises generate heat in the lungs, which helps to keep the lungs free from diseases.

“In yogic context, the principle is simple. Heat destroys diseases, cold invites diseases. Movement is health, stagnancy is sickness.

“So, by working the lungs repeatedly through various breathing practices, movement creates heat, and heat destroys diseases and thus combating COVID-19 is possible,” Durai who is also the Director of Sakthi School of Yoga told Bernama through WhatsApp.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had, on December 11, 2014, declared June 21 as the IDY.

Commenting further, the 36-year-old yoga practitioner said COVID-19 is a respiratory disease particularly striking the lungs where the infection starts from the upper respiratory tract and sometimes in severe cases travels down all the way up to the tiny air sacs known as alveoli, making breathing impossible.

“When breathing becomes impossible, the body loses its ability to function in its optimum level, thus shutting down the organs and the body subsequently fails,” he said.

The yoga guru also advised people from all walks of life to embrace yoga in this trying times as it keeps one’s internal organs and mind rejuvenated and refreshed through the extension, contraction, twisting, inversion, and other type of movements.

He said the body ands mind made up of many components, adding that only when all the components work in unison with one another, total health is possible.

The yoga practitioner, who is trained under BNS Iyengar, a living legend in yoga based in Mysore, Karnataka, India opined that yoga should be taught at preschool level to develop self-discipline among children.

He said the principles of yoga teaches a child to be kind, to have discipline, to practice moderation and to speak the truth.

“Wouldn’t we want a child to have all this qualities? On top of that, with a body that is super healthy maintained through the practice of asanas, and the mind with super clarity maintained through the practice of pranayama (breathing exercise), imagine the potential of this child? Every child would be a prodigy,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) here, holds weekly virtual meetings with its citizens to encourage them to sign up for the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme during the total lockdown period.

Its Consul General, Sunarko said through the meeting, Indonesians in the state are made aware of the importance of adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the Malaysian government and advised to register through MySejahtera application to enable them to get the vaccine.

“For now, there is no other way for them to get the vaccine. For those who are employed, we encourage their employers to look after the welfare of their workers by registering through the application,” he said when met at his office, here today.

According to Sunarko, the majority of Indonesians in Johor are employed in the agriculture, plantation, manufacturing and construction sectors while about 2,000 others are students in higher educational institutions.

As for KJRI employees, he said the 70 staff and their family members have been given the first dose of the vaccine shot on June 14 and 15.

Meanwhile, Sunarko said several of its nationals in Johor have lost their jobs after some of the companies closed down following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To help them survive through unemployment, KJRI has taken the initiative to provide almost 60,000 ‘Sembako’ or basic essential packs to those in need since the pandemic hit in March last year, “ he said adding that 7,272 packs were distributed after the total lockdown began on June 1.

He said the allocation, fully provided by the Indonesian government, were distributed with the help of Indonesian community associations’ representatives in all the districts.

“We expect the Sembako programme to continue until August, depending on the Malaysian government’s decision in dealing with the COVID-19 situation,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

The government did not open mega vaccination centres (PPV) such as stadiums earlier because the supply of COVID-19 vaccine was insufficient then, said National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) Coordinating Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin.

He said the opening of mega PPV without enough vaccine would further incur the disappointment of the people against the government for wasting money by opening mega PPV.

“Mega PPV and many others were opened when supplies started arriving to raise the rate of vaccination,” he said at a media conference on the development of PICK with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, here today.

Commenting on press reports which questioned the slow process of vaccination in Malaysia compared to others countries such as Hungary, Khairy said Hungary is part of the European Union (EU) which has negotiated with vaccine suppliers to enable the supply in bulk and the vaccine factories are mostly in European countries.

He said the vaccination rate of Malaysia depended on vaccine supply which was monopolised by countries under EU.

According to him, advanced Asian countries including Japan were also left behind compared to EU, United States and United Kingdom (UK).

Khairy said the process of vaccination in Malaysia should be compared to Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Philippines which see Malaysia was being ahead and almost catching up with Japan.

He said the unfair supply of vaccine has long been raised because UK bought the vaccine five times its population and similarly with Canada.

It was only after these countries have achieved herd immunity such as United States, Japan and even China, started supplying vaccine when Malaysia has been waiting for so long.

Asked when Sputnik V vaccine is expected to get the approval of the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), Khairy said the agreement signed between a subsidiary of Duopharma Biotech Bhd, Duopharma (M) Sdn Bhd (DMSB) with the government of Malaysia gives the company three months to register the vaccine with NPRA.

“I understand NPRA is still looking for information on stability before making any decision,” he said.

On when is the supply of single dose vaccines by CanSino and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) coming, Khairy said the government is expected to get the first batch of CanSino vaccine next month as its delivery schedule is being finalised.

For Janssen, Khairy said so far today the government has not received any delivery date from COVAX in which Malaysia has chosen to obtain the vaccine through the facility.

The two types of COVID-19 vaccines have been given conditional approval for emergency use by NPRA on June 15. The CanSino vaccine was developed by CanSino Biologics, a company in China while Janssen is by J&J is from United States which also received approval for emergency use from the World Health Organisation.

COVAX is led jointly by The Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation (Gavi), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and WHO aimed at the development and production of COVID-19 vaccine as well as ensuring fair access to COVID-19 by all countries.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency