We are starting to understand how the covid-19 virus affects people in different ways, depending on their age and underlying health conditions
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KUALA LUMPUR: The supply of blood in the country is still sufficient at a safe level so far, said National Blood Centre (PDN) director Dr Noryati Abu Amin.
However, she said PDN and other blood centres are still in need of blood donors to continue replenishing blood stock at an optimum level all the time.
According to her, blood donation is still available during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period as the activity is considered an essential service under the Health Ministry for the treatment of patients.
While it cannot be denied that blood donation throughout the country would be affected following Covid-19 and the enforcement of MCO, Dr Noryati said various efforts including stepping up promotions via social media as well as extending the operation hours at collection centres have been carried out.
“So far, the supply of all types of blood is sufficient, however many blood donation campaigns were cancelled over fears that the people maybe infected with Covid-19 which also caused a drop in the number of donors,” she told Bernama.
Dr Noryati added that several additional measures were taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 when individuals came to donate blood, among them was limiting the number of donors at a location at any one time.
“Apart from that, measures such as social distancing and practice of good hygiene especially washing hands with soap and water as well as providing initial screening such as checking body temperature and inquiring the travel history of the donor, she said.
In this regard, she urged the people to continue donating blood regularly to ensure the supply of blood is always at a safe level.
“Having an adequate supply of blood at all time is very important to treat patients such as emergency victims, expecting mothers who may experience bleeding complications during delivery, cancer and thalassemia patients as well as patients undergoing major surgeries,” she said.
Members of the public can donate blood at three locations in the Klang Valley namely PDN in Jalan Tun Razak on Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 8pm and on Saturday and Sunday, from 8am to 6pm.
Besides that, the PDN Donation Suite in Midvalley Megamall starts daily from 10am to 5pm while the Puspanita Blood Donation Suite in Putrajaya operates from Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 7pm and on weekends from 9am to 6pm.
Meanwhile, the blood supply at the Blood Centre of Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital Seremban (HTJS) is also sufficient, said Negri Sembilan Health acting director Dr Mohammad Faid Abd Rashid.
Speaking to Bernama, he said the centre has enough blood for patients,
“During the MOC period, the centre is still operating on Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 3pm and on Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4.30 pm.
“The supply of blood however depends on healthy and non-risky donors who have to adhere to the regulations of the hospital,” he said.
Dr Mohammad Faid said those who display Covid-19 symptoms or have just returned from abroad or have close contact with suspected Covid-19 cases would not be allowed to donate blood. — Bernama
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PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has reported two more deaths due to Covid-19 that occurred today, bringing the death toll to 8 cases.
This comes after the Health Ministry reported 4 deaths over the past week, and two more deaths today announced by the Sarawak state disaster management committee.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the seventh death was of a 57-year-old Malaysian citizen with a travel history to Vietnam and had contacts with Covid-19 positive cases from the tabligh cluster.
The patient was admitted to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital on March 18 after a week of fever, cough and sore throat.
“The next day, the patient’s health deteriorated and he was in need of respiratory assistance. The patient was pronounced dead at 3.22pm on Mar 21,“ he said in his Facebook posting today.
The eighth death was of a 69-year-old Malaysian citizen also from the tabligh cluster. The patient was admitted to Tumpat Hospital on Mar 16 after having symptoms of fever since Mar 12.
“The patient was transferred to the King’s Hospital of Zainab II, Kota Baru on Mar 18, after which their deteriorating health condition prompted need of respiratory assistance the next day. The patient was pronounced dead on March 21, 2020, at 4pm,“ he said, while expressing his condolences to the immediate family members of the deceased.
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The Lagos State Ministry of Health has asked all passengers on British Airways flight BA 75 to self-isolate.
Commissioner for Health in the state, Prof Akin Abayomi, said the flight arrived Lagos on March 13, 2020.
It was the flight that brought in the third carrier of Coronavirus into Nigeria.
The 30-year-old Nigerian woman arrived in the country on March 13 on the flight and self-isolated herself on government’s recommendation.
The government said she developed symptoms of the deadly virus during self-isolation.
She is currently in the isolation centre in Lagos.
The government has asked other passengers on the flight to call the following numbers; 08000corona, 08023169485, 08033565529, 08052817243, 08028971864, 08059758886, 08035387653 for urgent medical help.
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A new kind of brain implant can detect and turn down the harmful nerve cell activity that are signals of certain symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
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PETALING JAYA: Please, stay at home and protect yourself and your family.
This was the ultimate message by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to all Malaysians in his special address tonight as the country enters its second day of the 14 days restriction of movement order (RMO).
Muhyiddin explained that the goal of the movement restrictions was to minimise exposure to the Covid-19 virus, after many among the public disregarded the order to travel to their hometowns, while others were spotted in public areas.
“The reason of the RMO is so that all of you need not travel. You don’t have to crowd the trains and buses or eateries, and your children are not required to go to school, which could expose them (to the virus).
“I plead to you, please, stay put where you are. I plead, just for this two weeks … stay at home quietly,” he said.
Muhyiddin said it was pertinent that Malaysians adhere to the RMO to break the chain of infection and ultimately reduce the number of those infected with the novel coronavirus.
He reminded the public that the virus could be transmitted from person to person through touch, and that if they continue to travel around, the chances of them contracting Covid-19 was higher.
He added that the reason the RMO was set to two weeks was because the Covid-19 has an incubation period of 14 days.
“The government is hoping that after this period, those still with symptoms can be identified and separated for treatment, and finally make Malaysia free of Covid-19.
“If during this period we are not successful, the government may be forced to extend the restriction order,” he said.
Muhyiddin said while the concept of staying home and avoiding public places looked simple in principle, this was particularly important if the country wishes to contain the virus.
He also urged those who need to move around to purchase essential daily items to practise good hygiene and avoid any physical contact with others.
“As a prime minister, I have a huge responsibility to handle the crisis. But I can’t possibly do it alone. I need all of your help. God willing, we can overcome this crisis together,” he said.
To date, 790 people have been infected by the Covid-19, with 117 new cases recorded today. Two Malaysians died to the virus on Tuesday.
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In a coordinated effort to combat the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed to work closely to ensure the latest and most reliable information and tailored guidance reaches the global business community.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health and societal emergency that requires effective immediate action by governments, individuals and businesses. All businesses have a key role to play in minimising the likelihood of transmission and impact on society. Early, bold and effective action will reduce short- term risks to employees and long-term costs to businesses and the economy.
To aid this collective effort, ICC will regularly send updated advice to its network of over 45 million businesses so that businesses everywhere can take informed and effective action to protect their workers, customers and local communities and contribute to the production and distribution of essential supplies.
ICC will also contribute to enhancing information flows on the coronavirus outbreak by surveying its global private sector network to map the global business response. This will both encourage businesses to adopt appropriate precautionary approaches and generate new data and insights to support national and international government efforts.
As an immediate priority, businesses should be developing or updating, readying or implementing business continuity plans. Business continuity plans should aim to reduce transmission, including by: promoting understanding of the disease, its symptoms and appropriate behavior among employees; setting up a reporting system for any cases and contacts; preparing essentials; limiting travel and physical connectivity; and planning for measures such as teleworking when necessary.
Calls to Action
As the pandemic evolves, ICC Secretary General John W.H Denton AO and WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will continue to coordinate their efforts.
Essential information on the COVID-19 pandemic can be found on the WHO’s dedicated site.
.tmb-1200v.jpg?Culture=en&sfvrsn=84087804_6 "ICC-WHO Joint Statement: An unprecedented private sector call to action to tackle COVID-19 19")
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SINGAPORE: Singapore’s health ministry on Sunday urged its citizens to defer all non-essential travel abroad in an unprecedented move for the Asian transport hub, as part of new measures to control the coronavirus that is fast spreading around the world.
Singapore will also tell all entering the country with recent travel history to the Asean group of nations, Japan, Switzerland or the United Kingdom to quarantine themselves at their place of residence for 14 days, the ministry added.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Countries, such as the UK and Switzerland have “abandoned” any attempt at containing the spread of the infection, said Lawrence Wong, a minister who co-heads Singapore’s virus fighting taskforce.
“That’s why we are more concerned that Singapore may well be exposed to a new wave of infections, which is potentially larger than what we have seen previously.”
The majority of new infections being reported in Singapore, an island nation with a population of 5.7 million, over the past few days have been people returning from overseas rather than local transmissions.
At least five cases of Singaporeans have been linked to a large religious gathering in Malaysia that was attended by more than 10,000 people from several countries.
Short-term visitors who are nationals of its Southeast Asian neighbours will also have to seek prior approval from the health ministry before their journey to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.
The restriction comes after a number of cases that entered Singapore with the specific purpose of seeking healthcare, the health ministry said. There have been two cases of Indonesians who had coronavirus symptoms at home before arriving in Singapore, known for its superior healthcare facilities.
The measures will be reviewed after a month. They will not apply to sea and land crossings with Malaysia, which will have separate precautions. Wong said 300,000 people a day move across the land checkpoints with Malaysia.
The Asian travel hub has previously announced bans on visitors from several coronavirus-hit countries, including China, Italy and France.
Singapore has won international praise for its painstaking onslaught on the virus since it initially emerged with one of the highest tallies of infections outside China. But other nations have since outpaced it.
Singapore has reported 212 infections, but no fatalities. Globally, more than 150,000 people have been infected while over 5,800 have died, a Reuters tally shows. — Reuters
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KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 41 new COVID-19 cases were reported as at noon today, bringing cumulative cases in the country to 238, Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.
He said all 41 new cases were linked to the tabligh religious gathering, and they involved 37 patient under investigation (PUI) cases while four more are close contact cases.
“To date, a total 203 cases are still being treated, with five in the intensive care unit (ICU) and requiring ventilator support. The five are also being given anti-viral treatment.
“Also, as of today, a total 1,321 samples from influenza-like-illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) have been tested at the Institute for Medical Research (IMR), all public health laboratories and hospitals. Of those, three samples tested positive for COVID-19,” he said in a statement, here today.
In another development, two earlier cases (case 35 and 61) have recovered and have been discharged from the Sungai Buloh hospital, he said.
This brings the number of recovered cases to 35 so far.
Dr Noor Hisham also advised the public to remain calm and not to spread inaccurate information with regard to the tabligh religious gathering that took place from Feb 28-March 1.
Also, to prevent risk of infection on those from the vulnerable communities and those prone to infection, especially the Orang Asli community, the Health Ministry (MOH) is advising organisations or groups who have plans to conduct activities with these communities to postpone them, he said.
Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry will continue to provide health services to rural communities through outreach activities.
“The ministry also welcomes any form of medical aid, contributions or collaborations from any party, including non-governmental organisations,” he said, adding that offers or inquiries can be submitted through the ministry’s email cprc@moh.gov.my.
Meanwhile in an updated statement issued at 7pm, the MOH said a total 4,942 participants from the tabligh event at the Sri Petaling mosque have been identified.
Of these, 3,069 reported themselves in at Health Clinics for examination and screening while another 137 were referred to hospitals.
“Only 1,634 of them experienced respiratory tract infection symptoms and samples were taken, while 2,932 of them were asked to undergo home surveillance for 14 days from the last day of the gathering. Investigations and tracking of the event participants is ongoing,” the statement read. — Bernama
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