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It's now 2024, and Covid is still with us. People don't go into a frenzy now, and there are no toilet roll runs, but the fear is still around, just in variable amounts and in different intensities. I doubt that anyone could have imagined this back in 2021 or even 2020.. So what's new in 2024? 1 - Our current flavor? BA. 2.86 or JN. 1 There are still vaccines, and they tell us it covers this strain 2 - it is unlikely that we will close down and have a circuit breaker, just because of the economic costs, rather than any health advice 3 - masks are still required in health care settings, elsewhere, it's up to you 4- are there any positives? I think there are some small ones: - the whole home delivery industry took off, especially food delivery - we now have an ability to work from home, well not everyone, but many - some of us respect those in the healthcare industry more - we have become more health aware of viruses, transmission, infection and hygiene.. we may not be more hygienic, but we are more aware of what it takes to get infected - some of us have decided to live life differently and not take life for granted - others still have a stockpile of toilet rolls, medication, and of course masks Who still keeps a ton of masks at home? I do, from surgical, to cloth and of course N95 ones. I still have sanitizers all over the home and use alcohol to wipe surfaces like keyboards and phones.. How has your life changed?

Lai lai lai, suggestions for 4D numbers. Buy simi lumber? https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/pm-lee-catches-covid-19-first-time?utm_source=a1home&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=A1+trending&utm_content=c1

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/adulting-101-untimely-deaths-friends-existential-crisis-2131826 Adulthood is an invigorating stage of life as young people join the workforce, take on more responsibilities and set their sights on the future. But its many facets — from managing finances and buying a home to achieving work-life balance — can be overwhelming. In this series, TODAY’s journalists help young Singaporeans navigate this stage of their lives and learn something themselves in the process. SINGAPORE — In the last two years, five people I knew died from sudden cardiac arrest. They were young and seemingly healthy people whose untimely demise came as a shock to their family and friends. They ranged in age from about 25 to 35. The grief hit me pretty hard, as I felt a lot of guilt and regret about my relationship with some of them. It got me to thinking — are more young people dying from sudden cardiac arrest? And should I be worried? Cardiologists from the National University Heart Centre Singapore told me that the risk of sudden deaths in young people remains exceedingly low. Based on the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) data report published by the Singapore Heart Foundation four years ago, those above the age of 65 constitute the highest risk group of patients, accounting for 36.2 per cent of the 3,000 cases of cardiac arrest in 2019. There are about 3,000 cases of OHCA yearly here. One cardiologist told me that the prevalence of OHCA in Indians and Malays is twice the rate of Chinese. The prevalence of OHCA in men is also twice that of women. While uncommon, there are underlying conditions among young adults that can lead to sudden deaths, such as hypertrophic cardiomypathy (abnormal thickening of heart muscles) or arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm of genetic causes), another cardiologist said. This is why health screenings are important, as people often believe themselves to be healthy if they do not have any symptoms of underlying disease when they may have conditions that are asymptomatic. Though sudden cardiac arrest among young people with no underlying conditions is rare, I could not shake this feeling that my life could be taken from me at any time. This led me to move beyond concerns over cardiac arrest affecting the young to wonder more broadly at the meaning of my brief, mortal existence. I was left feeling unmotivated and uneasy. Don’t get me wrong, my life is going okay — I have a good job, I have a roof over my head, I have two beautiful kids and a supportive husband — but I was being consumed by this thought that if life is so short, why bother doing anything? It occurred to me that I was perhaps having an existential crisis. Mr Praveen Nair, a psychologist at Raven Counselling and Consultancy, said that this occurs when there is an inner conflict within an individual causing them to break from traditional thinking patterns and recalibrate to become more contemplative with regard to questions about meaning, purpose and identity in life. Mr Nair also reassured me that I am not the only one feeling this way, as he has seen more adult clients with similar issues. One contributor to this is social media, said Mr Nair, as some netizens cherry pick what they share online to present a rosy picture of their lives, which can cause other users viewing the content to experience "fomo" (fear of missing out). This, in turn, can lead them to wondering about their direction in life. Mr Nair said it is normal to experience an existential crisis even when things in your life seem to be going okay as many things, both overt and subliminal, can influence our thoughts even when our lives are relatively routine. In fact, some argue that the mundane and routine can be a stimulus to initiating thoughts about the larger meaning or purpose of life. This makes sense, as I have been feeling a certain kind of tedium for some time now, juggling work and caring for two young children daily. Ms Abigail Yang, a grief therapist at counselling platform Talk Your Heart Out, said that it is normal to think deeply about life or question how you feel about it. The more fundamental issue is when no answer satisfies you, she added. “It becomes a constant loop of complex questions with no fulfilling solution. This, in turn, leads to a conflict within yourself about your reason for existence,” said Ms Yang. In some cases, extreme thoughts and unanswerable questions can leave one feeling frustrated, anxious, depressed and even suicidal, said experts. They also shared that one way to overcome an existential crisis is to disengage from pursuits or people that bring me no joy and redirect my energy to those that do. Mr Nair said this can help initiate renewed drive and motivation in life. “It may sound counterintuitive but many great innovations occurred when inventors experienced an existential crisis. They channelled their energies into a new venture that was motivating,” he told me. One way to overcome the crisis is to also take time to connect more with people whose company I enjoy, as an existential crisis can occur when we feel disconnected from others, said Mr Nair. Ms Yang reminded me that it is okay to allow myself to feel such negative emotions, and that I should not suppress them. Some people block out pain and suffering, thinking this will make them happy, but it can often lead to a false sense of happiness, she said. Embodying emotions and acknowledging feelings of pain, discontentment and dissatisfaction can open the door to personal growth, and improve one’s outlook on life, Ms Yang added. One tip I got from a friend that has helped me deal with my existential crisis is this: "KonMari" your schedule, rid yourself of self-imposed duties and obligations and identify areas where you could be doing less, doing something easier, or doing nothing at all. This is a reference to Japanese author Marie Kondo and her ideas about ridding our lives of needless clutter. This might mean, for instance, your one-hour exercise routine becomes a 20-minute one, or perhaps you ditch it all together for an extra hour of sleep. The only person that should be happy with the choice you make is you. ABOUT THE WRITER: Nabilah Awang, 29, is a former Senior Journalist at TODAY.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/covid-19-patients-in-c-class-ward-to-pay-about-700-from-april-1 Please take note of this April Fools Gift But I guess no prank

Source: https://mustsharenews.com/first-xbb-malaysia/ XBB Covid-19 Subvariant Detected In Malaysia With 4 Cases Reported While Singaporeans have been living with XBB for over a month, the Covid-19 subvariant is just beginning to make its way around the ASEAN region. The Philippines reported their first cases of XBB on 18 Oct, and Malaysia has now joined the club as well. Four cases of the strain, which is said to be more infectious than previous variants, have been recorded so far. With the country’s general election weeks away, the government has called on the public to mask up. Possible link between XBB & surge in Covid-19 cases in Malaysia Khairy Jamaluddin, the Minister of Health of Malaysia, made the announcement today (31 Oct) at a press conference. According to Sin Chew Daily, four cases of the XBB Covid-19 subvariant have been detected as of 27 Oct. The strain is suspected to be behind a recent uptick in cases, of which there were 3,129 reported yesterday (30 Oct). By comparison, there were 2,054 confirmed cases on the same day a week ago (23 Oct). The Health Minister also revealed that the patients comprised three local men and one woman. They are between 25 and 51 years of age. One of the XBB cases is a reinfection The severity of the patients’ infection was classified as level 2, the second mildest category. They exhibited symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, and flu. One of the patients had been infected before, which is possible for those who were first infected a year ago. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung recently stated that those who got infected last October or earlier are almost just as likely to get infected again as those who have never gotten it. All four patients are currently carrying out their seven-day self-isolation, and all their close contacts have been given a clean bill of health. Public urged to mask up in indoor or crowded areas Khairy Jamaluddin reminded Malaysians to take extra precautions, especially since the general election is around the corner. In the leadup to 19 Nov, many large-scale campaigning events are bound to take place, potentially leading to more cases. Although masks are now optional in Malaysia (save for healthcare facilities and public transport), he strongly encouraged people to mask up indoors and in crowded areas. The health ministry is now monitoring the subvariant closely.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/The-Big-Story/Inside-Shanghai-s-COVID-lockdown-nightmare?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20220622190000&seq_num=2&si=44594 Inside Shanghai's COVID lockdown nightmare China's zero-COVID policy devastated the commercial capital CISSY ZHOU, LAULY LI, CHENG TING-FANG and CK TAN, Nikkei staff writersJune 22, 2022 06:00 JST HONG KONG/ TAIPEI/SHANGHAI -- In late April, a few days into the quarantine of her dormitory in Shanghai, Jenny Zhang began to feel dehydrated. A senior at one of the city's top universities, she and other students on her floor had just been told they could only use communal toilets and showers on a strict rotation, and their drinking water would be severely rationed. No matter how thirsty she became, Zhang, who spoke to Nikkei Asia under a pseudonym, could only allow herself tiny sips of water from her 500 ml bottle. She tried to complain about her supervisor (an instructor who aids in managing students at Chinese colleges) not offering more water. However, her protest was opposed by her roommates, some of whom had larger water bottles and were less desperate, who argued that the supervisor was not obligated to offer Zhang special treatment. After two days, she began to experience overpowering thirst -- there was no access to even tap water in the dormitory. Students on Zhang's floor fell apart emotionally under the strain. One student said she would take a knife with her into the bathroom, threatening members of a WeChat group that she would stab anyone who tried to stop her from showering at midnight, when no one else was there. The same student also threatened to set the building on fire, saying that arson was the only way to get everyone out of the dormitory. "If anyone sets fire to the dormitory, we could die because the school would not allow us to leave the building," Zhang said. "I didn't even feel very upset at that time because, in that state, I did not want to live either. "I could feel that I was not in a healthy mental state." Residents pinned in by barriers had limited access to water during the lockdown. Couriers would bring water rations to those unable to leave their apartment blocks. © AFP/Jiji Throughout Shanghai, China's economic capital, similar stories are emerging following the official end of a strict, two-month lockdown. It was an ordeal for the inhabitants of the city that grabbed headlines around the world for its severity, perhaps the most draconian control measure recorded anywhere during the pandemic. During the lockdown, children who tested positive for COVID-19 were separated from their parents; fences were installed to restrict people's movement; pets whose owners tested positive were reportedly slaughtered by authorities; white-clad workers entered residents' apartments to spray disinfectant without consent; and at least 200 individuals are believed to have died, not due to COVID, but due to lack of access to hospitals. The outbreak was contained, if just barely. From Feb. 26 to June 15, Shanghai logged 58,098 positive cases and 588 COVID-related deaths, according to the city's Health Commission. But while the lockdown officially ended on June 1, the psychological scars have yet to heal. Wang Qing, an artist from Shanghai, told Nikkei she believes she is still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and has started to experience insomnia and compulsively hoard food. "I asked my therapist if it is PTSD, but he told me it is too early to conclude ... as we are still suffering from strict control," she said. Some of those who were forcibly transferred to city-run makeshift quarantine camps, known as fang cang hospitals across China -- a requirement for anyone who tested positive during the lockdown -- remain terrified every time they hear a tap on the door. Workers disinfect a locked-down residential area in Shanghai, China, on April 15. © Reuters "I've become quite sensitive after being isolated in a quarantine facility," said Mr. Xia, a college student from Shanghai who was sent to a quarantine camp during the lockdown and only gave his surname. "I am scared of a knock at the door. I dare not read news on the internet. Sometimes, I cannot help talking to myself, and my messages are full of typos when I type." Incoming storm Before the outbreak, Shanghai authorities had been proud of their COVID prevention strategy. The city had been emblematic of the success of Chinese President Xi Jinping's zero-COVID approach, which used a huge testing apparatus, along with tracking and tracing contacts and, when that failed, targeted lockdowns, to eradicate the virus within China's borders. The zero-COVID strategy appeared to be effective against the delta variant: China's reported case numbers and mortality rate were far lower than the rest of the world, while its economic growth rate had been among the highest among the world's major economies for the past two years. From late 2019, when the virus was first detected in Wuhan, until the worst outbreak began in March this year, Shanghai recorded only 392 local cases and seven deaths. But the omicron variant, which emerged in late 2021, turned out to be much more transmissible and a far greater match for zero-COVID than the delta variant. Xi's political reputation is tightly bound to the success of his zero-COVID policy, said Deng Yuwen, a former editor of China's Central Party School's official newspaper, Study Times, who now lives in the U.S. Under omicron, Deng said, the policy has become a liability for China's paramount leader. "Having fewer fatalities is a top priority for Xi, and if the epidemic results in many deaths in China, Xi may come under fire from his adversaries," Deng told Nikkei. "Xi is caught in his own trap now, as he has politicized his anti-epidemic policy. He is too proud of the achievement in combating the delta variant and thinks it demonstrates the superiority of the Chinese system over the U.S., so he is biting the bullet to stick to his zero-COVID policy." On March 2, however, a new outbreak began in the town of Meilong, 20 km south of downtown Shanghai, which reported its first positive case: a fully-vaccinated, 46-year-old woman. At around 2 a.m. on March 3, a Shanghai doctor who only gave his English name as Young was among those sent to take samples of every stair handrail and door handle along the woman's path through the residential complex. Until March, Shanghai had avoided lockdown measures due to a rigorous testing and track-and-trace policy. © AP "All the samples came back positive the next day," he told Nikkei in a recent interview. "We doctors all got the impression at the time that the area was essentially a toxic reservoir, and that we were simply waiting for the virus to break out, because there were clearly far more than one or two people infected in that complex." It was the start of a brutal three-month treadmill of work for Young and other medical workers in the city. Two days later, more than 10 people in the complex had tested positive, leaving the authorities unable to trace all their activities. And within the following week, a smattering of positive cases started to emerge across other residential complexes in Meilong. "Local authorities were obviously caught off guard, and they could only send us to test as many people as we could," Young said. Temporary testing booths were set up in areas where large numbers of people conglomerate -- industrial parks, shopping malls and wet markets. Even delivery drivers passing by would be required to take a test. As testing surged, manpower ran short and safety standards suffered. Doctors ordinarily could not be sent to take samples or do other front-line work without already having three vaccine shots themselves. But that requirement was quietly thrown out, Young said. "There is no doubt that many people got infected during the regional mass testing," Young said. "The queues were so long and people were so close to one another, and some didn't even wear a mask." When testing was done in a wet market, Young added, nearly all samples came back positive. Draconian measures After the local government's botched attempt to contain the initial spread of the virus, the central government in Beijing took over by dispatching Sun Chunlan, a vice premier who was credited for isolating the first outbreak in Wuhan in 2020. Arriving in Shanghai in early April, Sun immediately ordered local officials, including the city's top official, party Secretary Li Qiang, to "adhere unswervingly" to the zero-COVID policy. Sun went on to introduce sweeping measures that called for mass PCR tests every few days. Those testing positive -- some of them children -- were separated by force from their families, while neighbors who shared the same residential building were often hauled to makeshift quarantine centers, even if they were COVID-negative. Initially, over 25 million Shanghai residents were told to stay home for a maximum of eight days, but when daily case numbers did not recede, the government extended the quarantine order without offering an exit strategy. Food stocks run low at a supermarket in Shanghai, China, on March 17. Many residents struggled to replenish food as lockdown restrictions became stricter and shops were forced to close in the city. © AP Households soon faced diminishing food stocks, the replenishing of which was infeasible as nearly all businesses, from supermarkets to online marketplaces, ceased to function, along with crucial delivery services. Escape from Shanghai As positive cases started to climb, college students, packed into dormitories with communal showers and toilets, were bearing the brunt of the lockdown. At most Chinese universities, four students share one room with bunk beds, with one or two shared bathrooms on each floor. At the beginning of March, Zhang had heard from friends at other colleges that they had been confined to their dorms for more than a week without being permitted to take showers. It took a few weeks for these restrictions to catch up with Zhang, who had still been allowed to walk freely within her dormitory, get cafeteria takeout downstairs, shower in the public bathroom and use the communal toilets. On April 22, however, just after Zhang had completed an online job interview, she was ordered to return to her dormitory immediately and remain indoors as a student in her building had tested positive. Residents line up for compulsory COVID-19 tests during Shanghai's lockdown on May 19. © Reuters "We were actually shocked," Zhang told Nikkei, "because none of us had been allowed out of the building for the past few weeks. Where did the virus come from?" For three weeks after that, Zhang and her dorm mates were stuck inside their building, with strictly rationed amenities and limited access to food and water. Zhang started to consider leaving Shanghai in early May as she felt increasingly traumatized. Getting a train ticket home was easy; leaving was not. To even board a train, Zhang had to submit an application to her university along with a copy of her train ticket. She also had to present the university with a letter from her hometown's local government confirming she was permitted to return home. Further, she had to present a copy of the most challenging document to get hold of: a government-issued pass certificate for the cab she intended to take. After completing the painstaking process, Zhang was set to head off by train in mid-May. Flying was out of the question as most flights out of Shanghai were canceled during the lockdown. In April, 1,735 flights departed from Pudong International Airport, down from 6,017 in March, according to Flightradar24. The night before her departure, Zhang was wracked with nerves. She heard news that the rule in her district was only empty cars could traverse roads; no passengers were allowed in vehicles, even if the driver had a city-issued pass certificate. Some of her classmates aboard a bus had to duck out of sight at a police-monitored checkpoint. "I was so scared that I had an emotional breakdown," Zhang said. "After all these painstaking preparations, I am still not allowed to leave?" At midnight, a few hours before Zhang's scheduled departure, one student in a WeChat group was cycling to the train station -- 28 km away from his college -- on a shared bike. The student was stopped halfway by police, and he was asked to return to his university as he failed to show the police approval from his hometown permitting his return. As a result, he tried a path suggested by other students but again came across a police officer stationed at an intersection. Thankfully, the officer was dozing, so the student could quietly sneak by. Despite all the horror stories, Zhang's departure was "surprisingly smooth." She was collected by a taxi in the morning and, apart from being stopped at one checkpoint, made it to the train station. After so many complications, Zhang felt lucky she had made it out. Zhang, who had hoped to find a job in Shanghai after growing deeply fond of the metropolis, has started a new life in Guangzhou. "I feel like a scumbag," she said, "who finally had the strength to exit my relationship with my abusive partner, who had repeatedly beaten me." Supply chain torment Shanghai and its surrounding areas are key to the world's tech supply chain. Taking Apple suppliers alone, more than half of the world's top 200 have manufacturing facilities in the region, according to a Nikkei Asia analysis. Shanghai not only hosts the most important production site for MacBooks but also a significant iPhone manufacturing base. The city holds a Tesla Gigafactory and has evolved into an ecosystem for a range of vital electronic components used by global tech giants such as Dell and HP, from chip manufacturing and assembly to printed circuit boards, acoustic parts and power components. An aerial view of the Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory. Tesla is one of many tech companies that rely on Greater Shanghai as a base for key parts. © Getty Images "The supply chain is obviously also impacted [by the lockdown]," Jensen Huang, CEO and founder of U.S.-based tech company Nvidia, told Nikkei and other media outlets in a recent interview. "In the case of China, the lockdowns affect people's ability to manufacture, and so that affects the supply chain, which overlaid on top of an existing supply chain disruption is quite extraordinary." China's status as a supply chain hub is being severely tested by Beijing's zero-COVID policy. The management and well-being of tens of thousands of workers isolated in one place became a great challenge for many suppliers during the strict lockdowns in the Greater Shanghai area, which includes the nearby cities of Kunshan and Suzhou in Jiangsu Province and is one of the world's biggest electronics manufacturing hubs. Tony Tseng, an Apple supply executive who asked to speak under a pseudonym, told Nikkei: "The most terrifying thing about this omicron wave isn't the virus but the fearsome atmosphere spreading among our employees and workers." Tseng's factory in Shanghai, which houses more than 25,000 workers, went under lockdown in early April. More than 40 employees showed signs of mental disorder. He added that one of his workers even started to claim he was Xi Jinping, breaking equipment in the factory and becoming aggressive toward nurses. The mandatory COVID tests arranged by local authorities were another mental and physical challenge. "We had more than 50% of employees being sent to [city-run quarantine camps] during the lockdown," Tseng said. "Some of them even entered the facility twice. It was an extremely traumatic experience." The supply executive added that since Shanghai reopened several of his colleagues have requested therapy. Maintaining food supplies for tens of thousands of people was another headache. "There were times it was so close that our daily hot meals were almost being cut off due to the delayed delivery," Tseng said. "We arranged big packs of snacks like bread, cakes, long-life milk, instant noodles and canned food to make sure everyone did not starve. Shanghai's Lujiazui financial district became a ghost town during the lockdown imposed in April and May. Only government workers in protective suits were seen in the district's usually busy streets. © Reuters "Restart[ing] production is not our No. 1 priority now, the mental health of our employees is. ... We have to take care of them, and the bottom line is that we can't have anyone die because of this pressure. "The costs of employee meals are three times higher than before the lockdown, and every day we have an average of 300 workers resigning since the lockdown was lifted, which I could totally relate to. In terms of production output, the entire April-to-June quarter was basically in vain." An executive from another Apple supplier, whose facility in Shanghai employs around 10,000 workers, told Nikkei that about 10% of their staff who did not live in on-site dorms were prohibited from leaving the factory grounds when the lockdown was announced without warning; they were not allowed to go home to prepare or collect personal belongings. According to the executive, many believed the surprise lockdown would only last a few days. Workers who were not allowed to go home were forced to stay overnight in the factory: "[Employees] had to sleep on the hard floor of the plant ... That's really not something normal people could take," he said, adding that supplies such as towels and blankets were severely limited. Shanghai's lockdown was part of President Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy, which aims to keep case numbers in China low by imposing harsh, concentrated lockdowns on areas with high numbers of infections. © Getty Images "If you complain about all the inconvenience to the authorities, things could become even worse," the executive told Nikkei. "You have to be careful or the officials might roll out even tougher rules and reviews against your plant." The suppliers that Nikkei talked to all said they have geared up their production diversification plans under requests from their clients because of recent lockdowns in Greater Shanghai. Said Tseng: "Diversification is a long-term solution but it cannot solve the problems we are facing at the moment. We are pretty sure the lockdowns will happen again somewhere. ... It's a supply chain disruption that the entire industry has to face together." Documenting the devastation Given the restrictions on water, food, mobility and medical attention, not to mention the overzealous implementation by local officials, it was not surprising that the policies led to many preventable deaths. Judging by social media posts that could not be verified, the two most common causes were being denied needed medical attention and suicide. On April 14, after seeing news that a local nurse, Zhou Shengni, had died after being refused treatment for asthma at her own hospital, a Shanghai startup executive began to compile a list of deaths due to restrictions since the lockdown. He gave his name as Mr. Wang and said he was shocked into action by Zhou's story. Many hospitals in Shanghai would only allow patients to enter if they could show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. © AP Wang's list was mainly based on social media reports. Although he didn't verify each post himself, Wang marked all the key information in each post, including ages and addresses. The list spread like wildfire after Wang posted it on his WeChat account. Within five hours, the post had gained nearly 3 million views. About 10 people messaged Wang, saying their relatives or friends had also died due to the coronavirus restrictions in Shanghai. Like many viral posts on Chinese social media, the list was censored by WeChat after five hours. Wang estimates that the post would have received more than 10 million views had it not been censored, as people were reposting it and noting their strong dissatisfaction with the inhumane restrictions. After the list was censored, some unknown social media user uploaded the list to a cloud spreadsheet collaboration platform so that anyone with the link could contribute. The list is incomplete but so far contains evidence of more than 200 non-COVID deaths in Shanghai, mostly due to the draconian controls. The names on Wang's list are not included in Shanghai's official number of 588 COVID-related deaths since the lockdown. In the list Wang started, names include Qian Wenxiong, a health official who died by suicide, Chen Shunping, a musician who killed himself after being refused admission by two hospitals over acute abdominal pain and an unnamed 67-year-old man who died over no access to hemodialysis after being locked in at home for days. One day after the non-COVID death list was censored, Wang received two calls from someone claiming to be a police officer. The man asked Wang if the list was compiled by him and whether he had started the cloud spreadsheet, too. Makeshift barricades were erected throughout Shanghai to control movements in and out of residential areas. © Getty Images Wang admitted to making the initial list on WeChat but denied having anything to do with the cloud spreadsheet. "I don't know who made that spreadsheet," he told Nikkei, "but I am happy that somebody did it and took the torch from me." As of publication, Wang remains safe, but he says the true death toll from the lockdown may never be known. “It is really hard for civil society to get an accurate death toll due to covid restrictions, unless the authorities release it, or we have to check with each hospital, which is very difficult too,” he said. Pointing the finger The apparent failures of the lockdown have made China's zero-COVID policy the target of unprecedented public anger. There was a smattering of short-lived protests: Residents took to banging pans and shouting from the windows of their homes to protest the government's inadequate food allocations. Someone also produced banners printed with the list initiated by Wang, along with slogans such as "Oppose Infinite Lockdown" and "People Are Dying." The banners were swiftly taken down. Powerful decision-makers so far have avoided blame. Instead, lower-level officials have been scapegoated. At least 50 low-ranking officials at the district and county levels have been relieved of their duties, according to the website of the city's Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Communist Party's internal police. They were punished for various offences, including delivering expired food, for local virus outbreaks, and even one case where five officials in Putuo District were fired following a blunder at a state-run nursing home where a conscious resident was mistakenly sent to a funeral parlor. Shanghai residents said that they blame excesses on the overzealous interpretation of rules by local officials. “At the end of the day people are not afraid of the virus, people are afraid of these strange policies, authorities and government. People are afraid of being caught with the virus, but not because the virus will kill them. If you contract Covid, that means your family, your neighbors and even the whole building need to be quarantined again," Keith Yao, a longtime Shanghai resident and a director of an exhibition business, said. Neither vice premier Sun nor Secretary Li, the city's top official who was widely seen as a contender for higher office in Beijing, have accepted any responsibility for the outbreak, or the chaos caused by the lockdown. Far from it, Li claimed victory. "Our city is fast recovering," Li told grassroot leaders on June 1, the day when the lockdown ended. "This achievement was not easy, impossible without the continuous struggle of the grassroot comrades and the support of the city's residents at large." Residents wearing protective masks stand behind a makeshift fence in Shanghai on June 6. There were a few protests against the restrictions, but those speaking out faced stricter restrictions or even detention. © Reuters However, analysts of Chinese politics say that Li and the rest of the Shanghai leadership have suffered politically from the chaos of the lockdown. "By extension, Li's reputation as a leader has been dented," said Dali L. Yang, a professor who studies the politics of China's development and governance at the University of Chicago. "The question is by how much." Yang said the matter may affect promotion prospects for Li at the upcoming 20th Communist Party Congress later this year. But few hold out much hope or change. "In China, if you resist, you are basically an individual against the entire regime and will likely be detained," said Deng, the former editor of the Central Party School's newspaper now living in the U.S. "And organizing others to resist can be even more costly. Especially during an epidemic, any protest needs to be organized online, which is impossible as internet surveillance is ubiquitous in China." The closest thing to a public apology came on April 9 when a deputy mayor acknowledged the government's constraints but steered clear of blaming the zero-tolerance policy. "A lot of our work has not been enough, and there's still a big gap from everyone's expectations," Zong Ming, deputy mayor of Shanghai, said on April 9. "We will do our best to improve." Additional reporting by Marrian Zhou in New York.

better late than never...probably stop taking the same old booster. this one effective against delta and omicron. https://abcnews.go.com/US/moderna-booster-fall-turning-point-covid-fight/story?id=85254442 Moderna says new booster for fall could be 'turning point' in COVID fight With vaccine immunity waning, and concerns over a fall surge growing, officials from Moderna announced on Wednesday that data from its study on Omicron-containing bivalent booster, revealed that it offers superior antibody response against omicron – one month after injection - compared to the company's current vaccine. Moderna Chief Medical Officer Dr. Paul Burton told ABC News that he believes the company's "highly effective" updated COVID-19 bivalent vaccine could be a "turning point" in the nation's fight against the pandemic. "The data are definitely better than I had even hoped," Burton told ABC News that in an interview. "Given the magnitude of effect — that seven-fold increase in antibody levels — we could for the first time, be at a vaccine that is truly effective with once yearly dosing because we know those antibody levels will decay." Moderna plans to file its data with the Food and Drug Administration "as quickly as possible," and should the vaccine be authorized, the company will be ready to supply the shots to "as many people around the world as possible," Burton said. "These are very important data. It's an important announcement. And I think it has the potential to be a real turning point in this latter part second half of the pandemic," Burton said. The announcement comes as the U.S. continues to battle a secondary surge from omicron subvariants amid waning immunity, relaxed attitudes by many towards mitigation measures and fatigue and skepticism about vaccination and booster shots. After more than a year of persistent efforts and messaging from federal and local authorities, just under 71% of the eligible population aged 5 and over is fully vaccinated and less than half who have completed their primary series have had their first booster dose. Burton said the company hopes this new vaccine could, for the first time, provide a roadmap for annual COVID-19 vaccinations, rather than shots every few months. "I believe that we will be able to get to this once yearly dosing now because we have high levels now. That will probably even increase and mature over time, potentially giving people protection over a full year. We could finally get to that once yearly protection, so I think it's really important," Burton said. The variant adapted vaccine, which contains omicron mRNA, was found to be highly effective against omicron, Burton said. The company reported that this new bivalent vaccine combines the original shot and the omicron mRNA together in a single shot. "The original vaccine gives great protection against delta and other variants that we've seen still recently, and that really caused significant disease. Omicron does cause significant disease. It's definitely not mild, but it's super infectious. You need to combine the two together," Burton explained. Although it is still unknown how well the new vaccine will be able to prevent infections and severe illness, Burton said he is confident that the vaccine will "definitely prevent hospitalization and death." "It's highly effective," Burton said, adding that the safety profile is also "very robust," and "reassuring." Should another variant of concern emerge, one drastically different than omicron and the already existing variants, scientists at Moderna will be prepared to reevaluate and readapt the shot to address the new threat. "If something again really drastic occurs, Well, we'll have to look at that. But I would say again, what I think we've been able to show here, is that we can adapt very quickly. We were able to make this new booster in weeks and get it into testing. I think we can even speed that up now. So, I think we were well prepared for that," Burton said. [9:45 in] Burton said he remains worried about the growing population of "unprotected" and "under-vaccinated" Americans, who will be vulnerable to more severe disease. "But by the fall, here, and around the world, we're gonna have many people who are unvaccinated and under- vaccinated and they're going to be very vulnerable," Burton said. "By Autumn, we know that waning occurs. Even people who got boosted in the new year, come the autumn of this year, they're going to have low levels of antibody. They're going to be unprotected, under-vaccinated and they're going to be very vulnerable." The sentiment of booster fatigue among some Americans is another concern for Burton, he said. "The fatigue and just the eagerness of all of us... to kind of put COVID behind us has led to apathy and a real reduction in boosting," Burton said. As Moderna also prepares for the FDA to consider authorizing its pediatric vaccine for children under six years-old, Burton said he hopes the youngest Americans will also have access to this updated shot as well, in the fall, once they receive their primary series. "I think the issue for the littlest kids is that they have no protection right now, they have had no primary vaccination they're under protected," Burton said. "I would propose that parents, caregivers get their little kids vaccinated now, They'll be ready to go back to school with Moderna. We know that two doses will give them protection... I think it's likely that they will need an additional boost at some point. And I would propose, and I think we all would imagine, that this is then the booster for them to get in the autumn of this coming year." The company is conducting studies to look into safety and efficacy of the shots in young children, and scientists are expected to have data later in the year, Burton said.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/work-life-balance-covid-19-hybrid-remote-great-resignation-wave-jobs-2682751 Many of us hold on to work-life balance as an ideal, without acknowledging the blood and sweat that make it possible in the first place, or how it’s not always feasible in our circumstances, says business writer Keith Yap. SINGAPORE: Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, working norms, especially in knowledge-intensive industries, have changed forever. Many of us have become skilled practitioners of working from home, attending Zoom Meetings with smart tops and pyjama bottoms, and eating lunches with Netflix instead of co-workers. In light of other trends like employees reconsidering their priorities and quitting their jobs, the narratives surrounding the future of work has percolated into online discourse. From TikTok to Harvard Business Review, the Internet is replete with advice on navigating this brave new world after the pandemic. While narratives about work are varied and fragmented, the motif of workers' burnout remains consistent. As offices in Singapore fling their doors open to welcome back all workers, many are pushing back against burnout in favour of pursuing work-life balance. Many of us visualise a seesaw when thinking about work-life balance, with the ideal of work and life on both ends perfectly level. It’s a zero-sum game and our language reflects any perceived imbalance – work “eats into” our weekends, we worry about "sacrificing" careers if we have kids and take parental leave. The hypothetical employee who’s achieved the coveted work-life balance looks like this: They enjoy autonomy in their professional life. They work a remote job, log in at nine, be ultra productive and go offline at six, commuting to the office only twice a week. They can reject all work communication outside of those hours. The rest of their time is protected for better pursuits, dedicated to dabbling in the guitar, cooking risotto for the family and catching up with pals every week. JOB MOVEMENTS AREN’T ALWAYS LIFESTYLE UPGRADES But a closer look reveals two key problems. First, a rigid conceptualisation of balance assumes such a lifestyle is immediately attainable for everyone, especially more junior employees. The Great Resignation Wave should not conceal the fact that many workers are leveraging the moment to move up in the same industry to get higher pay and more flexible work arrangements. But to make such moves, workers need bargaining power. They do this by spending most of their waking lives for years honing their craft, developing an edge to differentiate themselves in a crowded labour market. If workers at the beginning of their career prioritise flexibility and autonomy, they will end up compromising on picking up and perfecting skills required for career progression. Granted, one can reject the prospect of sprinting up the corporate ladder and trade progression for flexibility. This trade-off is laudable for some but impractical for others. However, current discussions assume job movements are unconditional lifestyle upgrades, without acknowledging the blood and sweat that made them possible. And with the new slate of responsibilities, the exigencies of work might mean compartmentalising work and life becomes even more challenging for all but the most senior roles. COMPANIES CAN’T ALWAYS PROMISE WORK-LIFE BALANCE With the spotlight on employee well-being, companies are embarking on more initiatives like offering mindfulness workshops or meditation apps, even giving employees mental health off days. Workers point out such efforts do not address the root cause of burnout: Exhausting work conditions. More are calling on corporate leaders to re-examine working hours and their expectations of employees. But here lies the second problem: Despite the best efforts of employers, the realities of work often make it difficult for companies to promise work-life balance. Any seasoned worker knows projects often take more time than expected and are prepared to work overtime to meet deadlines. The inconvenient truth is that a company exists for-profit and must outperform competitors. Thus the paradox of work-life balance is two-fold. To provide it indiscriminately, the company risks compromising its mission. To pursue it indiscriminately, the worker risks compromising career progression. EMBRACING WORK-LIFE RHYTHM INSTEAD It might be high time to discard the term “work-life balance” and that mental image of a seesaw. Let’s embrace instead the pursuit of a healthy “work-life rhythm” - a rhythm that moves with need, alternating between periods of hard work and deep rest over time. This can facilitate professional development and organisational growth while alleviating worker burnout. During periods of hard work, the worker is focused on project completion and will expect an intense workload. This could mean working past office hours regularly or even burning the midnight oil on some occasions. In return, companies can guarantee a minimum of work-free hours (such as weekends or mass block leave) so workers can tend to their personal lives. Conversely, professional obligations would be kept to an absolute minimum during periods of deep rest. During a company-wide lull, staff don’t have to worry about lingering work responsibilities, and can take on new hobbies or go on extended vacations. This would mark a divergence from our current practice of leaving workers to manage their leave schedule. Wouldn't we feel a nagging pang of guilt if we scooted over to Bali while our colleagues were working, even when we intuitively know there is not much to do? Conversations on work-life rhythm aren’t yet mainstream, though proponents compare it to seasons. Just as there are seasons for planting, harvesting and resting, we go through life phases where we can give our all to work – whether it’s building a business or designing a product – and where we must dedicate ourselves to family. Beyond the debate whether we should shift towards four-day work weeks, perhaps we should also be talking about 10-month work years. A GREATER APPRECIATION OF LIFE WITH EXTENDED PERIODS OF REST As a healthy work-life rhythm will benefit Singapore greatly, the Government can take the lead, as it has done so by calling for flexible work arrangements to become a permanent feature. The Government can continue actively engaging industry players through incentives and dialogues to shape better work norms. At a national level, such a work-life rhythm creates a society where no one is compelled to work laboriously throughout the year. It could empower more individuals to devote their spare time to work of public importance such as volunteering, political participation and the arts. Other more career-minded ones would improve their skills to be more productive at work. Most importantly, there will be a greater appreciation of life with extended periods of relaxation. We can focus on our family and friends, which goes a long way in countering burnout, cynicism and angst. COVID-19 has forced us to re-imagine the future of work. It might be time to retire the pursuit of the ever-elusive work-life balance. After all, isn't the whole point of a seesaw to enjoy the alternating rhythm of ups and downs instead of always toiling to balance ourselves perfectly?

Outlook for post-Covid recovery clouded, recession could hit 'within next 2 years': PM Lee

Good news for the world. But pfizer and moderna are disappointing. mRNA supposed to be fast to develop, but now Apr, apparently still nothing, although they promised omicron-specific vaccine in Mar. Omicron-specific Sinopharm, Sinovac COVID vaccine candidates cleared for clinical trial BEIJING, April 16 (Reuters) - COVID-19 vaccine candidates developed by a Sinopharm subsidiary and Sinovac Biotech (SVA.O) to target the Omicron variant were approved for clinical trials in Hong Kong, the companies said on Saturday. Scientists worldwide are racing to study upgraded injections against Omicron, as data indicated that antibodies elicited by vaccines based on older strains show weaker activity to neutralise the highly transmissible variant. The two candidates from units of Sinopharm subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG) and one from Sinovac contain inactivated or "killed" coronavirus and are similar to vaccines that the companies are supplying in China and overseas, the companies said in statements. The Sinopharm candidates will be tested as boosters in adults who have already received two or three vaccine doses, CNBG said. It did not specify which vaccine products the trial participants would have received before taking the experimental booster, or how many subjects would be recruited. Sinovac said it will push forward studies in its existing CoronaVac vaccine's protection against emerging variants. A Chinese study showed that a fourth dose of BBIBP-CorV, an existing Sinopharm COVID vaccine, did not significantly lift antibody levels against Omicron when administered six months after a third booster dose to a regular two-dose regimen. While the fourth dose restored antibody levels to around the peaks that followed the third dose, researchers said new vaccines would offer a better alternative as future boosters. Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Andrew Galbraith; Editing by Edmund Klamann and William Mallard

Closing the old thread and moving into the the next phase of covid, with the new measures and open to allow 10 people to makan together, we are going see more dishes on the table now

The Harvard School of Infectious Disease has made an important discovery and with the aid of the New England Journal of Science and the New York Sentinel, the trial of medicine, politics and money as well as what has not been revealed is intriguing... The newspaper discovered that our friendly neighborhood North Korean leader has been developing a new strain of Covid virus and he of course does not bother to follow convention, but decided it should called the "Shibal" strain and his funding? Yes, you guessed it, from our friendly Pudding.. who had intended it to be used in Ukraine, but even more maliciously, in other countries beginning with USA. The concept was that travelers will take the strain over and since testing and restrictions have been largely lifted, this will start panic in the countries and the world will suffer, the economies will tank and then yield to his Russian oil, and allow him to take over Ukraine. This strain was secretly made months before, and was meant to be released during the initial wave of the conflict, combining panic and striking confusion into the enemy. The unique part of this strain is that it combines the lethality of the Delta strain, the fast spreading nature of the Omnicron one, but tends to elicit a much lower antigen response. This means that our current ART or even PCR tests may have difficulty picking up this strain and thereby allowing carriers to slip past the borders undetected, creating havoc in the target populations. Here comes the twist... it seems that the first batches were sent via land to avoid detection in regular trucks carrying supplies, and the route was meant to send the vials - hidden in food containers, to areas near the border, where they would be injected into captured Ukraine soldiers and civilians, who would then be sent back to their country as part of a seemingly good humanitarian effort by the Russians. What went wrong was that the North Korean crew driving it got lost and had to ask directions, and unfortunately for them, but good for the rest of the world, they met some Ukrainians instead, and these Koreans couldn't tell the difference in their language, so the Ukrainians directed them to the Ukraine armed forces, who have now got hold of the Shibal strain. The Ukrainians then enlisted the help of the CIA, who then recruited top scientists from Pfizer, and they promptly developed vaccines to this, and have been quietly shipping this along with the anti tank missiles, using the very same containers to avoid detection. So in the twist of fate, the Ukraine army has been injecting the same virus into the captured Russians, and then releasing them back to their armies, and also spreading it with their drones in an aerosol version - which is quiet and deadly. This may explain partly why the Russians have been so inept and their lack of ferocity.. There were also talks by ol' Joe to release it into Russia itself, but thus far, Congress has been reluctant to spread the conflict and cause a backfire... But in a twist of irony, the funding for the vaccines came from Russian money confiscated by the Americans. The story continues.... What a cloak and dagger thing, fit for Hollywood no less.....

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/COVID-vaccines/China-s-quest-for-mRNA-vaccine-hits-stumbling-block-in-omicron?utm_campaign=GL_coronavirus_latest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=10&pub_date=20220311150000&seq_num=8&si=44594 China's quest for mRNA vaccine hits stumbling block in omicron Limited effectiveness of conventional shots puts 'zero-COVID' policy at risk A medical worker walks past a sign at a coronavirus vaccination site in Beijing. © Reuters SHIN WATANABE, Nikkei staff writerMarch 10, 2022 12:01 JST DALIAN, China -- China continues to struggle in developing a homegrown mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, with its front-runner failing to reach the market by the end of last year as hoped and now showing disappointing results against the highly infectious omicron variant. The messenger RNA-based ARCoV vaccine candidate developed by Abogen Biosciences, Walvax Biotechnology and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, now in Phase 3 clinical trials, encountered a snag shown in a paper published last month in the journal Cell Research. Eight of 11 participants in a Phase 1 early trial who received two doses of ARCoV showed "low" neutralizing antibody activity against omicron. Though the study found that a third dose significantly increased antibody levels in mice, the shot's efficacy against the variant remains in question. Walvax Vice Chairman Huang Zhen had boasted to Chinese media in July that the vaccine would be out by year-end. But trials continue, and no time frame exists for a release. China's stumbles in this area could put further strain on the government's strict "zero-COVID" policy as the omicron variant drives a resurgence in cases. The political risk consultancy Eurasia Group in January cited "vaccines with limited effectiveness" as a threat to China's coronavirus strategy. Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical companies moved quickly on conventional vaccines against COVID-19, rolling out two in early 2021. Both are inactivated vaccines, which use "killed" viruses that cannot infect cells but still can cause an immune response. Unlike the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, these shots do not need to be kept at ultracold temperatures, enabling China to export them far and wide. But these inoculations have proven less effective than their mRNA counterparts, eroding trust in Chinese-made shots. A growing number of countries that initially used Chinese vaccines, such as Indonesia, are turning to the U.S. for boosters. The Pfizer and Moderna inoculations went on the market in late 2020, and are currently being tested against the omicron variant. Developing mRNA vaccines is no easy task, said Shi Jinjun, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. Shi said the companies that succeeded have more than a decade of research behind them, and so were well prepared when the coronavirus emerged. Abogen was established in 2019 by Ying Bo, a former Moderna scientist. The company raised more than $1 billion through November from sources including the SoftBank Vision Fund. But while investors have high hopes for Abogen, it is unclear whether such a young company can meet these expectations. Sinopharm, one of China's early COVID-19 vaccine creators, broke ground in September on an mRNA vaccine production facility in Shanghai slated to be completed in September of this year, according to local media. Researchers face heavy pressure to advance mRNA shots to mass production and dispel skepticism of Chinese vaccines.

https://mothership.sg/2022/02/ng-eng-hen-covid-19/ Is he the first one in the group? These people say it will be just like flu. Hopefully it will be true, should have more of them coming. Haha I just call him the hero for the fun of it

AstraZeneca's antibody drug for Covid-19 treatment to arrive in S'pore by end of the year SINGAPORE - Singapore has signed a new purchase agreement with AstraZeneca for its antibody drug for the treatment of Covid-19, with supply expected to arrive in Singapore by the end of the year. Known as Evusheld, the drug cocktail is a combination of two "long" antibodies - which take longer to metabolise in the body and can provide longer lasting protection for up to a year, compared with monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are lab-manufactured proteins which act like antibodies to help the immune system fight the virus. AstraZeneca said phase 3 clinical trials showed that the drug is able to reduce the risk of severe Covid-19 or death by 88 per cent when given to patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19 within three days of the onset of symptoms. Preliminary findings in the lab have also shown the drug's effectiveness against variants of concern, including the Delta variant. The company said that currently available pre-clinical data also suggests the drug's efficacy should not be "significantly impacted" by the new Omicron variant. The Health Sciences Authority said in response to queries from The Straits Times that it is in discussions with AstraZeneca to facilitate the regulatory submissions for approval. However, no application has been filed yet. The two antibodies in the drug are derived from antibody-producing B-cells that were donated by convalescent or recovering Covid-19 patients. Both antibodies have been modified to provide long-lasting protection of up to a year in those who receive the drug as treatment. Mr Vinod Narayanan, the country president of AstraZeneca Singapore, said: "Evusheld provides healthcare professionals and patients in Singapore with a new option to fight the virus. Additionally, Evusheld will provide another prevention option for high-risk populations, alongside vaccines, including for people who are immuno-compromised and unable to develop the needed degree of protective response following Covid-19 vaccination." AstraZeneca has this week received Emergency Use Authorisation for Evusheld from the United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of Covid-19 and has filed for regulatory approvals in other countries. The FDA had said that the drug is authorised for use in preventing Covid-19 in people who have weakened immune systems and may not be adequately protected by vaccines. The Straits Times understands that Evusheld will be used only for the treatment of Covid-19 in Singapore and not prevention.

Pfizer says its experimental pill reduces risk of hospitalization, death from Covid-19 By Maggie Fox, and Amanda Sealy, CNN Updated 1045 GMT (1845 HKT) November 5, 2021 (CNN)Drugmaker Pfizer said Friday its experimental pill designed to fight coronavirus reduced the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk patients taking part in a trial of the drug. The company hopes it can eventually offer the pill, given in combination with an older antiviral drug called ritonavir, to people to take at home before they get sick enough to go to the hospital. A so-called interim analysis -- done before the trial was scheduled to end -- showed an 89% reduction in the risk of hospitalization or death from Covid-19 if patients got it soon enough, the company said. Pfizer released the results in a news release and did not provide scientists to discuss the data ahead of release. The data has not been peer reviewed or published. The company says it will share more specifics in a peer-reviewed paper and with its submission to the US Food and Drug Administration. The company has been testing the drug in adults with Covid-19 who are considered at high risk of progressing to severe illness. The volunteers have been randomly given either the pill combination or a placebo within three days or five days of their symptoms starting. The pill, still known by its experimental name PF-07321332, is what's known as a protease inhibitor. It's designed to stop the virus from multiplying. Giving it along with ritonavir slows its breakdown in the body, the company said. Pfizer said 0.8% of patients who got the drug combination within three days were hospitalized within four weeks -- three out of 389 patients -- compared to 7% of patients who got placebos, or 27 out of 385. And seven of those who got placebos died, Pfizer said. No one who got the treatment died within a month. "Similar reductions in COVID-19-related hospitalization or death were observed in patients treated within five days of symptom onset; 1% of patients who received PF-07321332 (with) ritonavir were hospitalized through Day 28 following randomization (6/607 hospitalized, with no deaths), compared to 6.7% of patients who received a placebo," the company said. It said 19% of patients given the treatment suffered adverse events, compared to 21% who got placebo, but declined to disclose what those adverse events were. "These data suggest that our oral antiviral candidate, if approved by regulatory authorities, has the potential to save patients' lives, reduce the severity of COVID-19 infections, and eliminate up to nine out of ten hospitalizations," Albert Bourla, chairman CEO of Pfizer, said in a statement. Currently, remdesivir, sold under the brand name Veklury, is the only antiviral approved by FDA for treatment of Covid-19. It's given by intravenous infusion, so it's not as simple to administer as a pill. People can also be treated with monoclonal antibodies, which are injected or infused therapies that kickstart the immune system to help fight off infection. They are not as easy to take as a pill and must be administered by a trained professional. Merck is seeking FDA emergency use authorization for molnupiravir, an antiviral capsule people could take at home. It's been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by about 50%. On Thursday, UK drug regulators authorized molnupiravir under the brand name Lagevrio.

Guess who's back AN AUTO-OTAKU HEADS TO GERMANY Part 1: https://garage36.wordpress.com/2021/10/26/an-auto-otaku-heads-to-germany/

ComfortDelGro is offering its passengers the option to be insured against accidents or covid for $0.30 per ride Some features: - coverage for personal accidents such as accidental death and permanent total disability of up to $50,000 for 24 hours starting from the time they board the taxi - $500 cash payout for anyone who has taken the COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction test and is tested positive for COVID-19, within 14 days from the date of the ride; and is hospitalised to receive in-patient treatment for a consecutive period of at least three days after testing positive for COVID-19. 30 cents, you will pay anot? Source: https://www.sgcarmart.com/news/article.php?AID=25772

I guess if your philosophy is you only need to have a small place to have sex and live... this isn't too bad. 😑 https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/workers-at-jurong-dorm-allege-neglect-frustrated-with-lack-of-medical-care-for Workers at Jurong dorm allege neglect, frustrated with lack of medical care for Covid-19 1 of 2 Workers at the Westlite Jalan Tukang dorm said they were not given proper access to medical support or properly isolated after they tested positive for Covid-19. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO David Sun and Dominic Low PUBLISHED OCT 14, 2021, 6:50 PM SGT FACEBOOKWHATSAPP SINGAPORE - A scene of chaos and neglect has emerged at a newly built foreign worker dormitory in Jurong, with residents alleging poor living conditions and a lack of timely access to medical help for Covid-19. Photos and videos of workers at the Westlite Jalan Tukang dorm voicing their frustrations with how they are being treated have been uploaded on multiple online platforms since Tuesday (Oct 12). Workers there said they were not given proper access to medical support, and were not properly isolated. About a quarter of the 2,000 workers staying in the dorm have reportedly tested positive for Covid-19, workers told a Wechat-based news portal. But Sembcorp Marine, which employs a large number of the workers, and the dorm’s operator Westlite Accomodation said on Thursday (Oct 14) that the dorm has been observing Covid-19 health testing and movement protocols. The situation reached a tipping point on Wednesday (Oct 13), when residents gathered en masse to confront the dormitory's management. Armoured riot police were later called in. Photos that have surfaced online showed workers believed to have Covid-19 infection sleeping at the corridors and walkways outside the dorm rooms. They alleged that they did so to prevent their roommates from catching the virus from them, as no one came to isolate them while they awaited medical care. A dorm resident, believed to have tested positive for Covid-19, sleeping outside his room as a form of self-isolation. PHOTO: RESIDENT OF WESTLITE JALAN TUKANG DORMITORY A resident who wanted to be known only as Mr Ren, 41, told The Straits Times that residents have been frustrated with the lack of medical assistance. "(The dormitory management) does not care about those who are sick - these men had been sick for about seven or eight days," he said. "Their fever had gotten very high, and we had to make noise about it before anything was done." Westlite Jalan Tukang residents believed to be Covid-19 positive in their beds He added that the situation escalated on Wednesday, when the residents confronted the management as a group. Although there were raised voices, the workers did not resort to violence, he said. The police were called in at about 1pm, and deployed at least four vehicles from the Special Operations Command. Armoured police officers and vehicles were also seen at the dormitory. One video showed the workers shouting as riot police formed up just outside the dorm entrance. ST understands that the dorm residents are of different nationalities, but had banded together to voice their frustrations. Aside from a lack of timely medical support, they also claimed poor living conditions, and that they were given food that had worms or had gone bad. Some of the workers had threatened to quit and return to their homelands because they were frustrated with how they were being treated. Residents of Westlite Jalan Tukang gathering Mr Ren said he has since resigned and just wants to go home. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Wednesday that it was aware of allegations of a breach of healthcare protocols, lack of access to medical support, and poor quality of food at the dorm. Its preliminary investigations found that there were indeed delays in transferring workers who tested positive for Covid-19 to the appropriate facilities. "We are working on transferring those who required further medical care to the appropriate healthcare facilities for treatment," said an MOM spokesman. Westlite Jalan Tukang resident being taken away by ambulance However, a spokesman for Sembcorp Marine claimed its employees living at the dorm may not have been fully aware of the current protocols. About 1,400 of the 3,420 beds at the dorm are occupied by workers from Sembcorp Marine, according to Westlite Accommodation, which is under the Centurion group. “The company understands that Westlite is following the mandatory Covid-19 health testing and movement protocols and they have been working closely with the relevant authorities,” said the Sembcorp Marine spokesman. “The company is mindful that the current protocols in Singapore may not be apparent to the residents in the Tukang dorm, and may differ from Covid-19 management measures from their home country.” A police car at the Westlite Jalan Tukang dormitory on Oct 14, 2021. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO Sembcorp Marine also said it had issued reminders to its caterer to strictly adhere to hygiene standards. The company did not address the issues raised by the workers, such as why they were not isolated and taken to the relevant facilities immediately upon testing positive, as is the stated protocol. Westlite Accomodation also said that prevailing Covid-19 protocols have been followed at its Jalan Tukang dorm, but acknowledged delays in moving affected workers to the appropriate facilities. “Over the past week, there has been a spike in cases detected among Sembcorp Marine workers,” it said. “Due to the large numbers, there have been delays in conveyance to recovery facilities and healthcare facilities.” Westlite added that it has been working closely with MOM to deal with the issue. ST has contacted MOM for further comment.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Singapore-s-upcoming-leaders-tested-as-COVID-wave-rattles-public?utm_campaign=GL_coronavirus_latest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=10&pub_date=20211011150000&seq_num=7&si=44594 Singapore's upcoming leaders tested as COVID wave rattles public PM hopefuls in tight spot between virus containment and vow to unchain economy A sign encourages social distancing in Singapore in late September, as coronavirus cases rise. © Reuters DYLAN LOH, Nikkei staff writerOctober 11, 2021 13:05 JST SINGAPORE -- The Singaporean government is fighting a relentless wave of COVID-19 infections, with daily cases topping 3,700 for the first time on Saturday despite a full vaccination rate above 80%. The crisis has ensnarled key ministers tipped as potential leadership candidates in a battle to manage public fears and expectations. The city-state's long-term plan is to "live with" the coronavirus as an endemic disease like the flu, backed by widespread jabs. The vaccines are largely working as advertised, and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday stressed that Singapore "must press on" with the strategy while taking precautions. "Singapore cannot stay locked down and closed off indefinitely," Lee said in a televised address, as the city-state revealed plans to reopen its borders further. "It would not work, and it would be very costly." But as the case numbers rise and the death toll creeps above 160, there are signs of public uncertainty and unease. For the government ministers tasked with guiding the way -- including prime minister hopefuls -- the pressure of balancing safety and economic considerations is growing as online petitions criticize their performance. For the rest of the world, Singapore is becoming a case study in communication and the challenges of preparing a population to coexist with COVID. Eugene Tan, a 37-year-old researcher, is one resident struggling to shake worries about the virus despite living in one of the world's most vaccinated countries. As cases climbed, he pulled his three children out of preschool. Part of his concern was that the children, all under 5, are in an age group that has not yet been approved for shots. Their grandparents, among the most vulnerable to breakthrough infections, care for the kids on a daily basis. But Tan also feels the government's evolving strategy has left the public unsure. He recalled how last year officials would "go hard on the brakes" on social activity whenever there was an outbreak. This time, they have stopped short: In late September they reintroduced limits on gatherings and dining out to two people, explaining they needed to buy time to scale up health care capacity. But they have not reimposed sweeping restrictions, avoiding the "zero tolerance" policies still seen in some parts of Asia, such as mainland China. "While the government has tried to prepare Singaporeans for an increase in cases and justify its rationale for opening up, I think it has misjudged how the public would accept the trade-off of increased death rates and critical illness," Tan said. "With the current wave, the tweaking of its own policies suggest that the government seems to be playing catch-up on the worsening COVID situation, while still wanting to capitalize on opening up." The researcher is not alone in harboring doubts. Pockets of Singaporeans are calling out the coronavirus task force led by Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong. The first two are rising leaders in the ruling People's Action Party and considered potential candidates to succeed Prime Minister Lee. "As Singapore has agreed to choose ... living with COVID, it does not mean that you should just leave everything and allow this situation to blow up," reads a petition on the website change.org, calling for Ong to resign over the infection surge. It had gathered over 8,000 signatures as of Monday morning. Another petition called for Wong and Gan to quit -- but for the opposite reason. It charged that they lacked the "will" to follow through on living with endemic COVID. This petition, however, gained little traction, managing well below 100 signatures. Many, like Singaporean financial adviser Michelle Ngiam, recognize the tight spot the ministers are in. "They are doing what they can to the best of their ability," Ngiam said. "They are also limited by certain factors like manpower and available resources so we can't expect them to be perfect." But experts do see the situation testing the upcoming leaders' standing in the eyes of the public. "With zigzagging policymaking, they risk losing [the] favor of the electorates that prefer more certainty, which is one of the features the government once had," Yu Liuqing, country analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit told Nikkei Asia. Yu argued Wong and Ong should still be seen as good policymakers and technocrats, with their calibrated approach to containing COVID. But he said public trust "is expected to have deteriorated a little amid the oscillation of policy approach between 'containment' and 'freedom.'" He also suggested public guidance on the changing strategy may have been "inadequate" -- "failing to manage the expectation of this wave of COVID-19 and [to] fully destigmatize COVID-19." Put another way, Singapore wants to live with the virus, but the public may not be primed to accept what that means. Official statistics over the past month or so show 98% of cases had no or mild symptoms, indicating the Pfizer and Moderna jabs Singapore has used are working to prevent severe infections. To allocate resources to those most in need, the authorities are letting fully vaccinated people with nonserious cases recover at home. "With vaccinations, COVID-19 has become a treatable, mild disease for most of us," Lee said on Saturday. Singaporean Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and other coronavirus task force ministers are in the spotlight over the government's "living with COVID" strategy. © AP Yet with the government urging the public to regularly self-test for COVID -- kits are available from vending machines -- medical helplines and facilities have been inundated with inquiries from alarmed residents who tested positive. This has put extra, some might say unnecessary, stress on the health system. "We are still very afraid of the virus despite the low numbers of serious infections reported every day," observed Paul Tambyah, president of the Asia-Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection in Singapore. At the same time, Tambyah noted that around 1,500 COVID patients have ended up in hospital wards in recent weeks. That, he said, is equivalent to "about one and a half general hospitals, which is quite a significant impact." "I think that people have a lot of questions and it would be good to have these answered in a frank and open way," Tambyah said. Health Minister Ong, who has stressed that the delta variant "doesn't follow our script," has pledged to work out kinks in the government's response. He acknowledged in parliament recently that the home recovery initiative was not ready to deal with the surge in COVID-19 patients. He has also warned that the country should brace itself for a possible scenario with 5,000 cases reported a day. Ong's colleague Wong, on the other hand, has tried to assure Singaporeans they need not be alarmed, since severe cases are likely to remain limited. He has also sought to "destigmatize" the virus, as the EIU's Yu suggested. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about if you catch COVID," Wong said earlier this month. "Sooner or later, many of us will end up catching the virus, but we will have zero or mild symptoms." Lee on Saturday appeared determined to set the record straight and calm a worried public. He acknowledged that "many have found it difficult to keep up with new policies and changes to measures," and that "'living with COVID-19' has not been a smooth and easy journey." He warned the government "may have to tap on the brakes again if cases again grow too fast." But he called for a change in mindset. "We should respect COVID-19," Lee said, "but we must not be paralyzed by fear."

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Asia-Insight/Singapore-soul-searching-over-economy-as-COVID-surges?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20211005190000&seq_num=2&si=44594 Singapore hopes its vaccination rate above 80% will allow it to leave COVID-19 restrictions behind, but for now it is focused on keeping infections in check. © Nikkei montage Singapore 'soul searching' over economy as COVID surges Even if vaccines help city-state 'live with' the virus, long-term questions loom KENTARO IWAMOTO, Nikkei staff writerOctober 5, 2021 06:00 JST SINGAPORE -- As pedestrians once again dwindled in Singapore's central business district on Sept. 27, the manager of a health food restaurant let out a sigh of frustration. "No one is coming back," he said. In normal times, workers from nearby offices would be chatting over a light lunch of seafood and vegetables on rice. But renewed COVID-19 restrictions imposed that day made working from home the default, and limited dining in eateries to pairs -- less than two months after such rules were eased. The restaurant had made it through the first year and a half of the pandemic. The manager wasn't sure it would survive much longer. He said he might have to "close because we are losing money over the year." As one of the world's first countries to fully vaccinate 80% of its population against the coronavirus, clearing the threshold in late August, Singapore was set to accelerate its economic reopening. The government had devised a "living with COVID" strategy, outlined by virus task force ministers in June, under which it would treat the disease as endemic like influenza and restore a semblance of normal life. Now, the authorities are fighting an exponential rise in infections, which began after the government relaxed some rules in August. A record 2,909 new cases were reported last Friday, more than 10 times the number a month earlier and marking one of the highest per capita rates anywhere. The rapid increase is partly due to frequent testing, and since 98% of new patients are asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms, the country of 5.45 million has not abandoned its plan to coexist with the virus. But it has hit the brakes. "We had all hoped that we could put these restrictions behind us, especially with our high vaccination rates and with our plans to move forward to a COVID-resilient nation," Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the task force, said when the government announced the rule-tightening on Sept. 24. "But the reality is that with the current infection trajectory, our health care system and our health care workers are facing many pressures." Even if the government shows Singapore can live with COVID-19, longer-term challenges loom. As the health crisis changes the way the world does business, can a travel and trade hub find new ways to attract people and investment? Domestically, can Singapore address its aging population and improve the lives of low-wage workers? The People's Action Party, which has led the nation since independence in 1965, is seeking answers while facing a burning question of its own: Who will succeed 69-year-old Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong? In many ways, Singapore stands at a critical juncture. "I think there is indeed soul searching at the highest levels of the government about building competitive advantages beyond some of our traditional strengths," said Walter Theseira, associate professor at Singapore University of Social Sciences. The pandemic has highlighted some of those strengths. Carefully calibrated safe distancing measures, including the use of digital technology for contact tracing, drew global attention as an example of a smart response. The city-state has limited its COVID-19 death toll to slightly over 100. And Singapore was the first major Asian economy to start vaccinations, in December, securing Pfizer-BioNTech shots initially and later adding Moderna. Yet the crisis has also exposed weak links in Singapore's advanced economy and wealthy society. Explosive infections in crowded dormitories for migrant workers last year showed how much the construction, shipyard and other industries rely on low-cost labor. Global travel restrictions, including Singapore's own tight border controls, have not only dampened tourism and related businesses but also hindered inflows of new labor, blue- and white-collar alike. Population statistics released late last month revealed that the number of foreign nationals was down 10.7% on the year, to 1.47 million, as of June. Growth was not exactly booming before COVID-19. Gross domestic product grew 1.3% in 2019, the slowest since the global financial crisis, amid disruptions in trade. Then, in 2020, Singapore suffered its steepest economic contraction on record, 5.4%. The economy has since shown signs of recovery. The government in August upgraded its 2021 GDP projection to a range of 6% to 7%, from 4% to 6%, thanks to vaccinations and improving conditions in key trade partners. But the rebound is proving bumpier than expected. A man sits among empty seats at a free movie screening in Singapore on Sept. 29, after restrictions on social gatherings were tightened. © Reuters The latest tightening of restrictions "will likely hurt some of the services segments, particularly food and beverage, retail, recreation and hospitality," Maybank Kim Eng economist Chua Hak Bin said, while noting that these sectors constitute a relatively small portion of the economy. External headwinds are gathering, too. China's economic slowdown bodes ill for countries like Singapore with strong business ties to the world's No. 2 economy. Singapore's largest bank, DBS Group Holdings, warned in a recent report that "slower China growth in [the second half of 2021] will affect export performance going forward." Already, the year-on-year growth of Singapore's manufacturing sector -- core products include electronics, machinery and pharmaceuticals -- downshifted in August for the second consecutive month, to 11.2%. The country's benchmark non-oil domestic exports also slowed for the second month in a row, growing 2.7%. "The transition from pandemic to COVID being endemic is expected to be tepid and uneven," DBS economist Irvin Seah said. More worrying for officials is persistent uncertainty over the viability of Singapore's economic model. An attempt to preserve travel, one element of the model, has not gone according to plan. In February, a facility called Connect@Changi opened near Changi Airport as an international "bubble" for business. The idea was to have visitors fly in and stay on-site, attending meetings with local partners in rooms separated by airtight glass partitions. But, for now, the complex has been converted into a care facility for COVID-19 patients without severe symptoms. This reflects both Singapore's rising cases as well as the slow rebound in travel demand. "The facility was intended for travelers, but given the tight border measures that are still in place, Connect@Changi adapted and repurposed itself," Health Minister Ong Ye Kung explained on Facebook. While COVID-19 has stopped travelers from coming, authorities worry new global tax rules could keep companies away as well. Connect@Changi, a facility meant to host safe international business meetings, is being used as a care facility for COVID-19 patients without severe symptoms for now. © Reuters In July, Finance Minister Wong was questioned in parliament about how a proposed global minimum corporate tax would affect Singapore's low-tax model. While the country's corporate tax rate of 17% is higher than the suggested minimum of 15%, many foreign companies appear to have benefited from lower effective rates. "It will make it harder for us to attract investments and we have to work harder, particularly, given our size," Wong said, conceding some other locations "offer equally, if not more, attractive and compelling attributes." The hard work, he continued, could include "upgrading of our workforce, our infrastructure, our connectivity, our overall business environment." Social trends may complicate any such efforts. Besides the sharp decline in foreign workers, the latest population statistics show a quickly graying population. Excluding foreign nationals, residents aged 65 or older accounted for 16% of the total, up from 15.2% a year earlier. Of particular concern is how to support lower-income seniors and encourage their participation in the workforce. Tan Poh Lin, assistant professor at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said "generation-specific solutions" are necessary due to large gaps in education and income, including technology training "to narrow the perceived disadvantages of hiring older workers with outdated skill sets and expertise." But she said in the near term, "especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic fallout, a mix of policies aimed at monetizing households' assets and government support would be more important for generating financial security for lower-income elderly. "There is also an opportunity to take advantage of the shift toward more flexible work arrangements to increase elderly labor participation." Prime Minister Lee emphasized worries over low-wage earners -- not only seniors but also informal "gig" workers like delivery drivers -- in his National Day Rally speech on Aug. 29. "Lower-wage workers are more stressed than others," Lee said. "They have less savings to tide over hard times. In the pandemic, their situation has been precarious." Whether it is reducing inequality or stopping the COVID-19 surge, Lee and his ruling PAP may be feeling the weight of citizens' expectations more than usual. For much of Singapore's history, the party could count on strong public support driven by a brisk economy, coupled with an election system that democracy advocates have long described as unfair. But in the 2020 election, the opposition won a record 10 seats, while the PAP's share of the popular vote plunged to 61.2%, close to its worst performance of 60.1% in 2011. Arguably, the party's position has only become more uncomfortable. Its succession plan was thrown into disarray when heir apparent and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat abruptly withdrew from consideration, saying the next leader should be someone younger. That "someone" has yet to be named. After the opposition's breakthroughs last year, the PAP will be looking to confirm Lee's successor and convince the public Singapore is on the right path before the next vote, due by 2025. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong receives a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot on Sept. 17. © Reuters Experts stress that even in a world reshaped by the coronavirus, Singapore still has plenty going for it. "Singapore's financial center continues to thrive even during the pandemic, strengthening its standing as a fund management and private banking hub," said Maybank's Chua. "Concerns over the national security law in Hong Kong are also diverting investments and funds into Singapore," he said, while the city-state is "benefiting from the reconfiguration of manufacturing supply chains toward ASEAN from China." As the pandemic pushes businesses to go digital and pursue sustainable development, Singapore is doing its best to capture these trends, creating frameworks to support fintech and leading the region in green financing. Singapore University of Social Sciences' Theseira argued the nation continues to offer a combination of safety, stability and economic vibrancy that is hard for its neighbors to match. He sees a major manufacturing opportunity as well, if Singapore can sharpen its innovation and productivity so it is not "competing just on price." Theseira cautioned that "the way ahead won't be smooth." "But I think COVID-19 has certainly thrown us opportunities as well as challenges, because it is more clear now that global business and production networks are really too concentrated and vulnerable," he said. "Singapore has a good chance of picking up momentum as it seeks to build capabilities in advanced manufacturing and digital technologies."

AstraZeneca seeks U.S. OK for new COVID treatment Tue, October 5, 2021, 5:00 PM AstraZeneca is seeking U.S. approval for its new COVID treatment. It's asked for emergency authorisation from the Food and Drug Administration. That's according to a statement from the UK firm. It concerns an antibody therapy dubbed AZD7442. AstraZeneca says a late-stage trial shows it reduces the chances of developing COVID-19 symptoms by 77%. It says the treatment could help people who don't develop a strong immune response after vaccination. Regular shots require a healthy immune system to develop antibodies in response, while the new treatment contains lab-made antibodies. U.S. approval would be a big win for the company. Its widely used shot still hasn't been approved for use there. AstraZeneca says talks regarding supply of the new treatment are ongoing with the U.S. and other countries. https://news.yahoo.com/astrazeneca-seeks-u-ok-covid-090024339.html

https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/merck-says-research-shows-its-covid-19-pill-works-against-variants Merck says research shows its Covid-19 pill works against variants Molnupiravir instead targets the viral polymerase, an enzyme needed for the virus to make copies of itself.PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Laboratory studies show that Merck & Co's experimental oral Covid-19 antiviral drug, molnupiravir, is likely to be effective against known variants of the coronavirus, including the dominant, highly transmissible Delta, the company said on Wednesday (Sept 29). Since molnupiravir does not target the spike protein of the virus - the target of all current Covid-19 vaccines - which defines the differences between the variants, the drug should be equally effective as the virus continues to evolve, said Jay Grobler, head of infectious disease and vaccines at Merck. Molnupiravir instead targets the viral polymerase, an enzyme needed for the virus to make copies of itself. It is designed to work by introducing errors into the genetic code of the virus. Data shows that the drug is most effective when given early in the course of infection, Merck said. The US drugmaker tested its antiviral against nasal swab samples taken from participants in early trials of the drug. Delta was not in wide circulation at the time of those trials, but molnupiravir was tested against lab samples of the variant behind the latest surge in Covid-19 hospitalisations and deaths. Merck said earlier this year that a small, mid-stage trial found that after five days of molnupiravir treatment, none of the patients taking various doses of the drug tested positive for infectious virus, while 24 per cent of placebo patients did have detectable levels. Merck is currently conducting two Phase III trials of the antiviral it is developing with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics - one for treatment of Covid-19 and another as a preventive. Merck anticipates that the Phase III treatment study will finish in early November, Grobler said. The trial enrolled non-hospitalised Covid-19 patients who have had symptoms for no more than five days and are at risk for severe disease. The latest analysis was presented during IDWeek, the annual meeting of infectious disease organisations, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Shares of Merck were up 2.3 per cent at US$75.04 on Wednesday afternoon on the New York Stock Exchange.

German politicians expressed shock on Tuesday over the killing of a 20-year old petrol station worker after an argument about a face mask and said that coronavirus deniers who are willing to use violence will not be tolerated. The killing on Saturday evening in the western town of Idar-Oberstein has hit the national headlines as it is one of the only such cases linked to COVID-19 restrictions. Prosecutors have said that the petrol station cashier had asked a 49-year old man who wanted to buy beer to comply with the rules and put on a mask. The customer refused and left but returned later wearing a mask which he pulled down when he approached the cashier who again referred to the rules. "Then the perpetrator pulled a revolver and shot the cashier in the head from the front. The victim fell to the floor and was immediately dead," prosecutor Kai Fuhrmann told reporters. The suspect later gave himself up at a police station, saying the coronavirus measures were causing him stress, said Furhmann. He is being detained. This is why I'm thankful guns are not allowed in our country. With the number of crazies we have surfacing, it'll be terrible if everyone pulls out a gun just to express their dissatisfaction.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Malaysia-s-island-paradise-reopening-stirs-hope-for-tourism-revival?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20210920123000&seq_num=11&si=44594 Malaysia's island paradise reopening stirs hope for tourism revival Langkawi hotels cheer return of domestic visitors but COVID fears linger ][/img] A seaside restaurant prepares to reopen to domestic tourists in Langkawi, Malaysia, on Sept. 16. © Reuters P PREM KUMAR, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 19, 2021 10:31 JST LANGKAWI, Malaysia -- With six children in tow, Khatijah Ibrahim was soaking in the ocean breezes and picturesque scenery of Malaysia's Langkawi on Saturday. "It's definitely a relief that we can finally step out from Kuala Lumpur to a beautiful island," said the accountant. Although she had some concerns about the trip, due to COVID-19, she said it was worth it to relieve the pandemic's mental strain. "In the last year, it has been the shuttle between work and home for me. It has been the worst for my children. So it's great to finally get some fresh air," she said. Since Thursday, thousands of Malaysians like Khatijah and foreign residents have been streaming back to the island tourist haven that served as a backdrop for movies like "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Anna and the King." The government that day reopened the duty-free resort area to domestic travelers who have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses, in a pilot project aimed at reviving the tourism industry. All visitors are subject to virus tests before entry, which detected nine positives in the first two days. Industry watchers hope the Langkawi bubble will be a precursor to allowing interstate travel -- which remains restricted as the country fights a persistent wave of infections -- and ultimately international arrivals. The government has warned that it could reverse the Langkawi reopening if it proves too risky. But for now, businesses are simply relieved to see planeloads of passengers return. Visitors arrive at Langkawi's airport as the resort area reopens to vaccinated domestic travelers on Sept. 16. © Reuters David Macklin, general manager of the swanky Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, told Nikkei Asia that the hotel has seen a rise in reservations and inquiries since the reopening announcement was made. "Many of our guests are already making reservations for the fourth quarter of 2021," he said. "We are excited to see that the fourth quarter of 2021 will be our best quarter since the first quarter of 2020," Macklin said. "We also have reservations coming in 2022 already, and some of those are international tourists waiting for borders to reopen." The excitement is mixed with a sense of caution, however. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who represents Langkawi in parliament, told Nikkei Asia that the reopening effort is to be welcomed but that the government should sharpen the regulations. "We need to improve the standard operating procedures further because the main issue I see among the tourists is a lack of social distancing, especially on flights inbound to Langkawi," the 96-year-old said during a walkabout to greet visitors and local residents. Mahathir and others look to Thailand's reopening of Phuket to vaccinated international travelers this year for lessons. The island subsequently saw a flare-up of COVID-19 cases, largely among local residents. "In Thailand, they opened and made their people too free to move while their [nationwide] vaccination rate was low," he said. Despite his concerns about social distancing, Mahathir said the Langkawi reopening was "more strict." Eugene Dass, a member of the Malaysian Association of Hotels board, echoed the need to draw on Thailand's experience. "It should be a lesson learned by all, both to the hotels and the authorities," he said. "As for hotels, we have put in place COVID-19 prevention and care measures and all hotel staff on the island are also fully vaccinated." Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who represents Langkawi in parliament, tours the area on Sept. 18 after it reopened to visitors. (Photo by P Prem Kumar) Still, the reopening of Langkawi to domestic visitors is a much-needed glimmer of hope for an economy that relies heavily on small and midsize enterprises, tourism and leisure. Malaysia's economy has not been fully open since its first cases of COVID-19 were detected in February 2020. The country's economic heart -- the Greater Klang Valley, which includes the capital Kuala Lumpur -- remains in the "recovery" phase, with all economic sectors allowed to operate at only half capacity. Unemployment has jumped since the initial movement control orders were imposed in March last year. As of August 2021, the rate stood at 4.8%, equivalent to about 770,000 people, according to the Department of Statistics. The country is still locked in a serious battle with COVID-19, with infections remaining close to 20,000 a day. As of Friday, total cases had surpassed 2 million with more than 22,000 deaths. On the other hand, Malaysia is making significant progress with vaccinations. The country is inoculating over 200,000 people daily and has given double doses to about 56% of its adult population, with 67% having taken one shot. That has allowed initiatives like the Langkawi reopening -- and allowed people like businessman Mokhtar Ibrahim to finally get away. Mokhtar is on a long-delayed honeymoon with his wife. The couple got married in January of this year, as COVID-19 cases surged in the country and enhanced movement controls were imposed. "We got married at home with our parents as witnesses. We thought we could use the money for our honeymoon, and we have been eagerly waiting for this opportunity," he said. "Thank God it's Langkawi and not some other place." Read Next