Day: July 25, 2021

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30 per cent of tourism frontliners vaccinated – Nancy

About 30 per cent of frontline workers in the tourism sector have been vaccinated against COVID-19 so far, said Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

She said the ministry was doing its best to gather information on the vaccination level of industry players in tourist hotspots throughout the country.

“We are in the process of collecting their names, including those who have registered in MySejahtera, so that they can be vaccinated soon. They include those in Melaka, Penang, Johor, Sabah, Kuala Lumpur and Pahang, especially frontliners in the tourism, craft and arts sectors.

“Even though they have registered in MySejahtera, we will try to help speed up and double the number of those vaccinated,” she told reporters at a vaccination programme in the island resort under the COVID-19 Free Destination Programme initiative here today.

Nancy said tourism frontliners such as taxi drivers and hotel workers needed to be vaccinated as a preparation to welcome back tourists.

“We (ministry) are helping to double up the number of vaccinated people, including tourism frontliners, as no state has yet reached 40 to 50 per cent (vaccination rate),” she said.

Meanwhile, Nancy in a statement said Pulau Pangkor is expected to achieve 80 per cent herd immunity by early September.

“In Pulau Pangkor, a total of 8,026 residents are eligible to receive the vaccine from a total population of 11,500. Some 1,056 people have completed both doses while 1,002 people have received their first dose since July 11 and a total of 5,968 people have not received the vaccine yet,” she said.

Nancy said the Manjung Health Office (PKD) had started an outreach programme three days a week for eight consecutive weeks from July 16 with a target of vaccinating 540 people a day.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

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COVID: Industry cluster in Tangga Batu recorded almost half of cases in Melaka yesterday – Rahmad

— Almost half of the 631 positive COVID-19 cases recorded in Melaka yesterday involved the Lot 11 Tangga Batu Industrial Cluster, which had 312 cases.

State Health and Anti-Drugs Committee chairman Datuk Rahmad Mariman said the cluster involved an electronics manufacturing plant in Tangga Batu here, with 467 positive COVID-19 cases recorded under the cluster since it was first detected on July 13.

“Of the total, 458 are foreign workers.

“The factory, which was ordered to close for 14 days from July 16 to 28, has 1,550 employees comprising 609 foreigners and 941 locals,” he said.

He said this after visiting the Common Vaccine Administration Centre (PPV) of the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industrial Immunisation Programme (Pikas) at the Bayou Convention Center here today.

He was part of the delegation which visied the centre with the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Melaka Tun Mohd Ali Rustam. Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Lim Ban Hong was also present.

Rahmad said the spread of infection among the workers, especially foreigners, was due to the workers living in the same settlement in Taman Cheng Emas.

Meanwhile, he said several new clusters were expected in the state in the next few weeks due to the relatively high rate of COVID-19 cases recently, but various initiatives and strict monitoring were being carried out by the state government to manage the situation.

“A new cluster is only declared as one when it dramatically records over 20 COVID-19 positive cases,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

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Heatwave: Water supply at Bukit Merah reservoir adequate

The water supply for the agriculture industry in Perak is adequate although it is expected to experience a continuous hot and dry climate until September.

State Plantation, Agriculture and Food Industry Committee chairman Razman Zakaria said the Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) was currently monitoring the water level at the Bukit Merah dam in Semanggol.

“Although the supply has decreased slightly, the situation is under control with water rationing conducted by JPS.

“The water supply at the Bukit Merah reservoir is not only closely related to agriculture but also for drinking,” he said in a news conference at the Control Post on Scene (PKTK) at Apartment Tropicana Bukit Merah which is placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) here today.

A total of 150 residents were involved in the EMCO from July 17 until 30.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department, in a statement, said the country is currently experiencing the Southwest monsoon, which results in a hot and dry climate until mid-September.

Meanwhile, when asked about the price hike of agricultural inputs such as pesticides between 40 and 80 per cent, Razman said the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry have to investigate matter so that it would not affect the agriculture sector.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

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Malaysian woman making waves with nasi lemak in Amsterdam

“Kan ik nasi lemak met kip rendang bestellen?” (Can I order ayam rendang nasi lemak?).

This is often the message received in Dutch language by Malaysian-born, Solehan Manger-Ramli, through WhatsApp from clients in Amsterdam, Netherlands since 2017.

Solehan, who moved to Rumpt after marrying a citizen of Netherlands, initially cooked nasi lemak as a hobby for friends.

Now, the 44-year-old cooks nasi lemak on a small scale at home for sale through Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram.

She was encouraged when Malaysians residing in Netherlands praised her delicious nasi lemak like the ones sold back home.

The locals in Amsterdam also came to know about the popular Malaysian food through social media.

“Generally, they know me and that the nasi lemak is prepared by a Malaysian. Malaysians including students here gave me the monicker ‘Kak Ann Ayam Rendang Nasi Lemak,” she said.

Recalling the initial days when she ventured into the nasi lemak business, the Penang-born mother of two told Bernama through Whatsapp that it started after many Malaysian friends asked her to prepare popular Malaysian dishes especially nasi lemak for them.

They pined for nasi lemak as they have not gone back to Malaysia for a long time, she said.

Adhering to the proverb, ‘no pain no gain’, Solehan took the plunge to turn her hobby into a business using social media applications to promote her ayam rendang nasi lemak.

She also takes request for other dishes such as laksa and various types of Malaysian traditional ‘kueh’ as well.

“I often have my hands full in meeting the bookings but as this is my source of income I will still accommodate their requests,” she said.

She also invited guests to her house to try her new menus as a promotion before the COVID-19 pandemic swept through Netherlands.

According to Solehan, the response from local customers in village nearby is picking up after COVID-19 subsided in the Netherlands with orders from Malaysians including students soaring.

Solehan said a normal nasi lemak set costs RM30 while the ayam rendang nasi lemak set is priced at RM40.

“Such rates are normal over here in Europe and customers understand the difficulty of obtaining the authentic ingredients from Malaysia.

“But I will ensure the prices are on par with the taste and quality because I want to guarantee the customer is satisfied to ensure repeat purchases,” she said.

Solehan will deliver the order to the client as soon as the nasi lemak is prepared in accordance with the quantity ordered while some customers pick up their orders from her house.

On how to begin a business here, Solehah said it is compulsory for traders to register and has a licence even for a small scale business.

Namely, she said they are the business registration certificate from the Kamer Van Koop Handel and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), while ensuring cleanliness all the time.

Solehan, who also harbours a desire to open a Malaysian food restaurant here, receives the moral support from her husband Jan-Willem Manger.

Being fluent in Dutuch languege, he played an important role in getting the locals to try Malaysian food and for Malaysians touring in the area he would say ‘je kan mijn nasi lemak met rendang kip proberen’ (Come try our ayam rendang nasi lemak if you are travelling here).

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

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COVID: Record high of 17,405 new cases, cumulative figure exceeds one million

— A record high of 17,045 COVID-19 cases were reported in Malaysia today, bringing the cumulative figure for infections past the one million mark at 1,013,438, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

The new cases topped yesterday’s figure of 15,902, which was then the highest recorded since the pandemic hit the country in March last year.

Dr Noor, in a Facebook post today, said Selangor again topped the list with 8,500 cases, followed by Kuala Lumpur with 2,045, and Kedah, 1,216 cases.

Johor had 950 cases, followed by Sabah (818), Perak (609), Penang (573), Negeri Sembilan (513), Pahang (424), Sarawak (407), Melaka (370), Terengganu (273), Kelantan (266), Putrajaya (50), Labuan (21) and Perlis (10).

Meanwhile, in an official statement, Dr Noor Hisham said that the new cases today comprised 17,039 local transmissions and six imported cases.

He said of the total number of cases reported today, 187 cases were from category five (critical and in need of respiratory assistance), 124 in category four (pneumonia and in need of oxygen assistance), 122 in category three (pneumonia), 7,489 in category two (mild symptomatic), and 9,123 in category one (non-symptomatic).

Overall, 2.5 per cent of the cases reported today were in categories three, four and five when first diagnosed, which means there were 433 cases that needed to be placed in hospitals, which are growing more congested.

“Therefore, the community is urged to continue to adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs), avoid gatherings, especially in narrow and poorly ventilated places, and immediately get an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine to be protected from the threat posed by the disease,” he said.

Apart from that, he said in the same period, 9,683 recoveries were also recorded, the highest single-day total so far, taking the tally of recoveries to date to 844,541.

The latest development brings the total number of active cases to 160,903, while 970 cases are being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU), including 501 of whom require respiratory assistance.

A total of 92 new deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll due to the pandemic in Malaysia to 7,994 people.

Dr Noor Hisham said based on the data as of yesterday, Malaysia’s average infectivity rate (RT) was 1.11, while the states that recorded the highest RT value was Terengganu with 1.36, followed by Kelantan (1.29) and Kedah (1.23).

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said there were 34 new clusters detected, with 18 involving the workplace, 15 (community) and one involving the high-risk group.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

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Bukit Mertajam Hospital converted into COVID-19 hybrid hospital

The Bukit Mertajam Hospital (HBM) has been converted into a Hybrid COVID-19 Hospital and took its first COVID-19 patient this morning.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a post on his official Facebook page said that in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Penang, the Penang Health Department acted swiftly within six days of careful planning and preparation to accommodate COVID-19 patients at the hospital.

“There will be 72 beds with pipe-in oxygen, dedicated for COVID-19 patients. It is expandable to 120 beds when demand increases.

“It will also be able to take in haemodialysis patients infected with COVID-19, as all wards are equipped with bedside haemodialysis facilities,” he said.

He added that all specialist services at HBM would still be provided, although surgical disciplines, obstetrics and gynaecology and pediatrics will operate with reduced capacity.

“Non-COVID-19 patients will be diverted to other hospitals in the Seberang Perai Hospital Cluster when the need arises,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

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COVID: Over 40,000 Orang Asli in Perak targeted to be vaccinated by year end

— The Perak and Kedah Orang Asli Development Department (JAKOA) is targeting 42,363 Orang Asli in Perak to receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of this year.

Its director Harulnizam Abd Rahman said so far a total of 2,181 Orang Asli in Perak had received the first dose of the vaccine jab while 1,337 had completed both doses via the eight COVID-19 Vaccination Outreach programmes for the Orang Asli community in the state starting at the Orang Asli One-Stop Centre in Sungai Siput on June 26.

“We acknowledge that so far the number of vaccine recipients is relatively low compared to their total (numbers). So to ensure this target is achieved, we will make sure this outreach programme is expanded immediately and may be implemented daily in the areas we have identified.

“However, at this time, our constraints are in terms of vaccine supply and we hope to facilitate this matter with the cooperation of and discussions with the Perak Health Department (JKN),” he told a press conference at the vaccination outreach programme for the Orang Asli community in Kampung Chadak, Ulu Kinta, here, today.

Earlier, a total of 204 Orang Asli around the village received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the second such programme conducted in the area.

Harulnizam admitted that during the initial stages there were constraints in explaining the importance of vaccination to the Orang Asli but the outreach programme has helped to increase the community’s understanding and awareness of the matter.

Commenting on the programme’s effectiveness, he said that it was the best platform to ensure that the Orang Asli received full vaccination despite facing various constraints, including registration problems through the MySejahtera application.

“We see here that they have a special route provided for vaccination. We also understand that some places (Orang Asli villages) do not have Internet access nor do they (residents) own handphones so they are not skilled in using (the) MySejahtera (application). So we do the registration process for the vaccination manually,” he said.

Harulnizam also thanked the Perak government for giving its full cooperation to his team and the Perak JKN throughout the programme.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency