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


Key Highlights

  • Omicron wave: What to do?

  • Sinovac is less effective

  • PKR polls heat up



Omicron wave: What to do?

The Health Ministry, seeking to prevent a repeat of crowded scenes at Covid-19 Assessment Centres (CAC) last year amid the Omicron surge, outlined what people needed to do when infected by Covid-19. Here's a quick breakdown of the procedure:

1) If your self-test kit shows that you are Covid-19 positive, an RT-PCR test for confirmation is not necessary. You should assume you are positive and report it on the MySejahtera App.

2) A digital home quarantine order will be issued, no physical bracelet is necessary. You should update your health assessment on the app daily so the Health Ministry can intervene if your condition deteriorates.

When should you head to a CAC? Covid-19 patients in the following three categories should stay home - unless their health deteriorates:

Category 1: No symptoms

Category 2A: Mild symptoms (coughing, sore throat, loss of senses) but does not suffer from other diseases and is not elderly (60 and above).

Covid-19 patients who are in Category 2B, meaning those suffering mild symptoms but also suffer from other diseases or is elderly are advised to seek consultation at a CAC. Here's a list of CACs nationwide.

If your condition is any worse than the above (sustained fever, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite), then you're strongly advised to head to a CAC.

You can also monitor your oxygen level using an oximeter. Seek help if it falls below 95 percent.



HIGHLIGHTS

March 1 decision on challenge against govt's Covid response
'The judicial review is filed as a matter of public interest.'
NPRA directed to report vaccine adverse events weekly
This is to increase transparency and confidence.
KJ reiterates Johor polls will go on despite Omicron wave
Omicron has not shown symptoms as serious as Delta.





Sinovac is less effective

The government had previously adopted a politically correct approach by arranging Sinovac recipients to get a Pfizer or AstraZeneca booster shot without openly saying why.

Many interests are at play, including diplomatic relations with China and local pharmaceutical firms selling the vaccine.

However, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin yesterday said it point-blank: Sinovac is less effective than Pfizer and AstraZeneca. Khairy also zoomed in on the more than 3.5 million Sinovac recipients who have yet to receive their booster shots.

Khairy said the government will accommodate people who still insisted on getting Sinovac for their booster jab, stating that some protection was better than no protection.

According to Health Ministry data analysed by Malaysiakini, between October 2021 and Feb 1 this year, 2,757 Covid-19 deaths were unvaccinated, 1,940 deaths were double vaccinated with Sinovac, 905 received double Pfizer doses, 98 received double AstraZeneca doses and two received Sinopharm.

It should be noted that the proportion is also influenced by the vaccination rate and usage prevalence of the Covid-19 vaccine brands.

The raw data of Covid-19 deaths can be accessed here.



HIGHLIGHTS

Zuraida remains Bersatu member – Muhyiddin
'No decision on PBM rumours yet.'
Muhyiddin dismisses talk of Bersatu quitting Putrajaya
'Irresponsible' to trigger elections amid Omicron wave.
Trust is low as key MOU players missing - Indonesian envoy
He urges for a unified position from M'sia.




PKR polls heat up

The PKR leadership election, set for April, is heating up with Perak PKR chief Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak confirming that he would be challenging Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari for the leadership of the Gombak division.

Farhash had served as PKR president Anwar Ibrahim's political secretary while Amirudin was formerly aligned with Azmin Ali, who resigned as the PKR deputy president in 2020 and defected to Bersatu.

Amirudin was a staunch defender of Azmin but had struggled to convince PKR of his loyalty after Azmin's defection.

Farhash is also not without controversy, with critics such as PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli complaining about his sway on Anwar.



HIGHLIGHTS

PAS MP: Amanah's Taliban statement influenced by West, DAP
'The whole world is helping to restore Afghanistan.'
Judge's restraining order against Lokman extended
It will last until March 22.
Johor polls: Muda wants opposition parties to unite
Negotiations are ongoing.

 


A daily glance at Covid-19

  • 11,034 new cases yesterday (Feb 7), the second consecutive day fresh infections are in the five digits.

  • The infectivity rate continued to climb steeply to 1.27, with Sabah (1.47), Sarawak (1.30) and Perlis (1.40) above the national average.

  • The number of new Covid-19 clusters climbed to 366, a 16.6 percent increase from a week ago. Most of the cluster-linked cases involve education institutions.


What else is happening?

  • The Court of Appeal dismissed Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin's appeal against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's defamation suit for his "main belakang" comment. The High Court previously ordered Khairy to pay RM150,000 in damages.

  • The MACC raided several premises belonging to Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) over claims of corruption against their senior officers.

  • Some 300 Bersatu members defected to Warisan in Johor. This came amid Warisan considering to contest in the state polls, which would make its electoral debut in Peninsular Malaysia.


HIGHLIGHTS

Unity Ministry may provide aid for burnt-down church
This depends on the outcome of an assessment.
Lawsuit reinstated against govt over Dutch model’s death
The 18-year-old model fell from KL condo in 2017.
Feb 23 to hear appeal by ‘Superman Hew’ over comic ban
He's appealing against the High Court ruling last year.



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