Day: September 8, 2021

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — The Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) has proposed that sports premises such as fields and gyms be given relaxation to operate, said its Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu.

He hoped that the Ministry of Health (MOH) led by Khairy Jamaluddin would also support the proposal to get the approval of the National Security Council (MKN).

“Cinemas are open? Gyms, sports fields? Maybe need to be opened with strict (COVID-19 prevention) SOP (standard operating procedures). Many almost have stopped “breathing”. Please,” he said in a post on his Twitter account today.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced permission to operate cinemas at 50 per cent capacity for fully vaccinated indiviudals, which gives relief to more than a million creative industry players, artists and workers.

The government had also previously given relaxation to people in areas under Phase One of the National Rehabilitation Plan (PPN) to do outdoor sports activities individually without contact such as cycling, jogging, skateboarding, fishing, equestrian, exercise, taichi, archery and climbing.

Also allowed are motorsports, golf, singles events for badminton and tennis, as well as the opening of premises selling sports equipment, but the operation of sports facilities such as badminton courts, futsal, bowling centres and gymnasiums have yet to receive the green light.

Meanwhile, National Sports and Fitness Venue Owners and Operators Association (NSFVOOA) said they had presented a proposal comprising guidelines, SOP and recommendations for the safe reopening of the sector and safeguard its long-term sustainability in a meeting with KBS recently.

Its president Datuk V. Radhakrishnan said it includes financial aid programmes for gym and fitness facility operators, fiscal incentives and grassroots programmes to educate and encourage the public to adopt a healthy, active lifestyle.

“The benefits of exercise and physical activity are manifold and well documented. We firmly believe that fitness is a part of the solution in Malaysia’s long-term fight against not just COVID-19, but also its national health agenda.

“Whether it is mental health issues, non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, or obesity; increasing the presence of antibodies post-vaccination as well as reducing risk of contracting severe COVID, fitness and regular physical activity is the answer.

“Finally, given that several other industries such as entertainment and driving schools were given the green light to reopen yesterday, we are hopeful that the fitness industry is next in line,” he said in a statement, today.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SEREMBAN, Sept 8 — Negeri Sembilan recorded 1,012 COVID-19 deaths from March 2020 to Aug 31, the state legislative assembly was told today.

Health, Environment, Cooperatives and Consumerism Committee chairman S. Veerapan said the deaths were among people aged between 11 and more than 100.

“Of the total, Seremban recorded 665 deaths, Port Dickson (100), Jempol (65), Tampin (54), Kuala Pilah (54), Rembau (46) and Jelebu (28).

“The state government has donated RM1,000 to the next of kin of the deceased to ease their burden, involving an allocation of RM116,000 as of last July,” he said when replying to a question from Chew Seh Yong (PH-Lobak).

Meanwhile, replying to a supplementary question from Yap Yew Weng (PH-Mambau) on the development of the appointment of private hospitals and clinics as vaccination centres (PPV), Veerapan said 81 health facilities in several districts including Seremban were operating as PPVs as of Aug 31.

Veerapan said 157,052 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were supplied to private hospitals, private clinics (68,379) and ambulatory care centres (10,066).

In another development, the Repah assemblyman said from Jan 2020 to June 2021, total of 84 patients were diagnosed with mental illness at health clinics in the state, including those suffering from depression, schizophrenia and anxiety.

Replying to a question from Mustapha Nagoor (BN-Palong), he said 25 suicide cases were recorded in the state from January to July this year.

He added that the incidence of suicide was due to various factors such as financial problems, depression, and drug abuse.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Responding to a plight of individuals whose income have been badly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, a group of young people got together to develop a mobile application to facilitate aid distribution among the needy.

According to Mohammad Hasif Afiq Jaafar, he and his nine friends started to develop the Bantu App last month.

He said they hoped it could be a platform to encourage Malaysians to help each other during these trying times as well as to provide wider access to assistance for affected individuals.

“Life is very challenging now and many have lost their jobs and source of income. What’s even sadder is when people resorted to suicide due to the mental stress that they are facing,” he told Bernama recently.

He said their target users are not only those who are in need but also individuals or non-governmental organisations who wish to channel assistance to those who are struggling to make ends meet.

Mohamad Hasif said the types of aid provided via the Bantu App are not limited to food or essential items as it can also provide aid in terms of accommodation, financial, medical as well as counselling services.

The software engineer said the application is equipped with user-friendly features including location detection and setting using the coordinate system as well as a selection of four languages namely Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Tamil.

Since its launch on Aug 27, the application, he claimed had attracted more than 100 active users.

“Our target is in the first three months more people will download this application through Play Store and App Store for free and we hope it can reach to at least 10,000 downloads,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 8 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) will continue working closely with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) to develop more medical technologies as the country heads towards the endemic phase of COVID-19.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said more medical devices could be developed through the MOH-MOSTI cooperation, including the latest tool for close contact detection that can be used in the country.

“More medical technologies and devices should be developed in the phases to come, especially when we enter the endemic phase and MOH really needs the cooperation from MOSTI,” he told a press conference after the handing over of duties ceremony for Health and MOSTI ministers here today.

Khairy swapped ministries with MOSTI Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba under the new Cabinet announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Aug 27.

On Sept 1, Khairy was reported as saying that Malaysia is expected to enter the endemic phase of COVID-19 in October in line with the government’s target to have at least 80 per cent of the adult population in the country fully vaccinated by October.

Meanwhile, Khairy said the MOH will give its full support to the task to produce Malaysia’s first COVID-19 vaccine entrusted to MOSTI.

“The Prime Minister has given MOSTI a heavy task to produce a COVID-19 vaccine, the first human vaccine in Malaysia. This is very important because if the need arises in the future, we will not have to enter into deals with other countries,” he said.

Ismail Sabri had on Aug 28 announced that MOSTI will be focusing on research and development (R&D) to produce a COVID-19 vaccine, while all programmes relating to COVID-19 vaccination and public health strategy will be handled by MOH.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUCHING, Sept 8 — Sarawak today started vaccinating its teenagers aged 16 to 17 against COVID-19 and is targeting complete vaccination for this group before Oct 3 when the school session begins.

Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said 96,400 teenagers in this age group, which represented 3.4 per cent of the state’s population, would be receiving the vaccine.

“The inoculation will be done at the public vaccine administering centre (PPV) and schools while the health clinics will be vaccinating the non-schooling teenagers and school hostelites who are still in their villages.”

He said this at a news conference after visiting the PPV for teenagers at the Telaga Air Health Clinic, about 25 km from here.

As for the young aged 12 to 15, numbering 192,800 in Sarawak, Abang Johari said they would be vaccinated by the end of September, starting with those having co-morbidities, and the full vaccination for this age group was expected to be completed in the fourth week of October.

Abang Johari said the State Education Department had yesterday been appointed to manage the vaccination exercise against COVID-19 for school students.

“Parents are encouraged to bring their children who are eligible to receive the vaccine to the special PPV set up, clinics and to the outreach programme held at schools,” he added.

“For Kuching Division, 69 schools involving 20,990 students aged 16 to 17 will be receiving the vaccine and another 758 students from two secondary schools will be vaccinated at the nearby Telaga Air Health Clinic PPV,” he added.

Abang Johari also said that up to Sept 6, Sarawak had achieved 88.9 per cent of the two-dose vaccination for its adult population.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency