Choosing who lives or dies

Good morning, here's what you need to know today.

Key Highlights

• Choosing who lives or dies
  
  
• Full MCO decision
  
  
• Spotlight on Gombak police
  
  

Choosing who lives or dies

In some areas, doctors now have to choose who lives or dies as Intensive Care Units are running low on beds for Covid-19 patients.

Kedah said chronically ill patients with little hope of recovery will no longer be placed in the ICU.

In Penang, efforts are being made to boost the number of ICU beds with the military setting up a "field ICU" with 27 beds for critically ill patients.

This is as the number of patients in the ICU and fatalities hit new record highs again. Fifty-nine people died from Covid-19 yesterday.

ICU patients climbed to 587, with 330 on ventilators.

During the worst of the previous peak in February, the most Covid-19 patients in ICU was 319 while the highest daily deaths were 25.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Siti Hasmah calls for prayers for the Covid-19 fight Health DG backs the initiative.
	Genting tour followed 'tourism bubble' SOP - ministry It has sparked a Covid-19 cluster.
	Cases involving child porn increase during MCO This comes amid people staying indoors.

Full MCO decision

The government will decide today whether to impose a more stringent form of the movement control order (MCO).

To date, the more stringent forms of MCOs that have been implemented included an economic shutdown last year and the enhanced MCO, where residents are forbidden from leaving their homes.

The Health Ministry has lobbied for tougher restrictions but the government has often been reluctant due to the economic cost but has had to capitulate time and again.

Manufacturers are lobbying against an economic shutdown.

In the meantime, the Health Ministry urged Malaysians to consider a "self-imposed" lockdown.

Ahead of the decision, an opposition MP urged the government to ensure proper coordination to avoid flip-flopping.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Harapan moots strategies to speed up vaccination This includes expanding the selection of vaccines.
	Migrants still fear reprisal after vaccination They fear deportation.
	EMCO on localities in six states from Saturday There were sharp increases in Covid-19 cases.

Spotlight on Gombak police

Another man has died shortly after being released from the Gombak District police headquarters.

There is no evidence yet that police are responsible but the district headquarters has attracted attention due to a similar case in March.

A Ganapathy had both his legs amputated and later died in the hospital ICU after being released from the Gombak District police headquarters.

His mother claimed Ganapathy was beaten with a rubber hose.

Meanwhile, outgoing Gombak police chief Arifai Tarawe threatened to sue a news portal for linking his transfer to Ganapathy’s death.

HIGHLIGHTS

	'200 Orang Asli agree to relocate for Nenggiri dam project' This is a fraction of the 22 affected villages.
	Rural communities lodge a complaint against logging firm They want S'wak timber giant to disclose concessions.
	'Charred Orang Asli home indicates fresh land grab' Activist says it's to force them to give up their land.

 

A daily glance at Covid-19

• 6,806 new cases yesterday (May 20), the second consecutive day that a new high record is set.
  
  
• Active cases breached the 50,000-mark as new cases significantly outpace recoveries.
  
  
• As of May 19, every state has an infectivity rate of more than 1.0 except for Sarawak and Kelantan. The rate must be kept under 1.0 to prevent exponential growth in new cases.
  
  
• For trends on daily cases, tests, hospital beds capacity, vaccination progress and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.
  
  

What else is happening?

• The Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force is investigating claims that health personnel may have administered lower than the required amount of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
  
  
• The private firm offering to donate two million doses of Covid-19 vaccines denied it was a scam and is engaging with Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who made the claim.
  
  
• Celebrity couple Neelofa and her husband Muhammad Haris Mohd Ismail pleaded not guilty to violating Covid-19 standard operating procedures.
  
  
• The High Court in Kuala Lumpur dismissed the prosecution's bid to forfeit RM114 million in cash seized from properties linked to former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.
  
  
• MIC president SA Vigneswaran lodged a police report over a viral video where unknown assailants beat up a man for allegedly insulting Vigneswaran. He claimed his name was misused.
  
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

	Guan Eng willing to apologise if 'bogus firm' claim true He says the Health Ministry didn't say anything when the offer was made.
	PBS dismisses defection talk Instead, it invited Warisan to join PN.
	'Release trafficked Rohingya child brides' Suhakam also found five Palestinians detained.

What are people saying?

	Govt must confine people at home Dr Mahathir Mohamad
	Record deaths and we're not taking Covid seriously enough By Malaysiakini readers
	Injections for Sabah By James Alin, Trixie Tangit & Bridget Welsh

KINI LENS