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Senin, 05 Oktober 2020

Malaysian PM Muhyiddin on 14-day home quarantine after religious affairs minister tests positive for COVID-19 - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will undergo a 14-day home quarantine, after a minister who attended a meeting he chaired tested positive for COVID-19.

In a statement on Monday (Oct 5), Mr Muhyddin said he had earlier chaired a special National Security Council meeting on Saturday, which was also attended by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri.

The minister has since tested positive for COVID-19 and is seeking treatment in a hospital in Seremban, he added.

Mr Muhyddin said he would undergo self-quarantine at his residence for 14 days based on the Ministry of Health's advice.

"However, this will not affect government affairs. I will continue to work from home and have video calls for meetings that have to be chaired by me," he said.

The prime minister added that the Ministry of Health has conducted COVID-19 detection screening test on all attendees and the secretariat of the Saturday meeting.

He also said that as a precaution, he has been undergoing swab test every two weeks since April and all results were negative.

Earlier, Dr Zulkifli, who is in-charge of religious affairs, confirmed in a Facebook post that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was in good condition.

“I urge members of the public present at events which I also attended from Sep 24 to Oct 4 to undergo COVID-19 health screening in any health clinics immediately,” he said.

Muhyiddin meeting COVID-19 — Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin chaired a special meeting on COVID-19 on Oct 3, 2020, which was attended by a number of ministers and officials. (Photo: Facebook/Muhyiddin Yassin)

The minister did not experience any COVID-19 symptoms at the time of the meeting on Saturday, according to a statement issued by Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah.

“... (he) has now been admitted into hospital for isolation, observation and treatment according to the current protocols for COVID-19 positive cases,” Dr Noor Hisham said.

The director-general added that all close contacts of this individual at the meeting have been served a Home Surveillance Order for 14 days beginning the day of contact.

READ: Malaysia will not re-impose COVID-19 curbs for now despite spike

The rest of the attendees who were not close contacts of the individual were required to undergo self-health monitoring at home every day for 14 days, he said.

All attendees have undergone health screening on Monday and their samples have been taken for COVID-19 detection tests.

Separately, contact tracing was ongoing, with screening and swab tests being part of the actions, Dr Noor Hisham said.

Saturday's meeting came after a surge in the number of cases in the country.

The COVID-19 pandemic appeared to be under control in Malaysia between June and August, until cases started to rise again in September.

Majority of the cases were detected in Sabah, and the government had said that the outbreak stemmed from undocumented migrants.

On Monday, Malaysia reported yet another day of record high cases. The 432 new cases brought the total so far to 12,813.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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2020-10-05 10:22:01Z
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Malaysian minister Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri tests positive for Covid-19, was at Cabinet meeting with PM Muhyiddin - The Straits Times

PUTRAJAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, REUTERS) - Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri has tested positive for Covid-19.

The minister confirmed this on his Facebook page on Monday (Oct 5).

“To all Malaysians, I am currently under treatment after being tested positive for Covid-19 by the Health Ministry.

“Alhamadulillah, to this moment, my health is good.

“I am urging all people who had attended events between Sept 24 and Oct 4, at which I was present, to please immediately undergo Covid-19 screening at the nearest health clinic.

“I pray that Allah will heal and save Malaysians from Covid-19, Insyaallah,” Dr Zulkifli wrote.

On Oct 3, Dr Zulkifli attended a Covid-19 ministerial special meeting at the Prime Minister’s Department, which was attended by members of the Cabinet, including Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Dr Zulkifli was also in Sabah during the state election campaigning period for ministerial programmes.

Mr Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday said he will self quarantine for 14 days.

“However, this will not interrupt government business. I will continue to work from home and use video conferencing to conduct meetings as necessary,” he said in a statement.

Those identified as close contacts at Oct 3’s National Security Council meeting to discuss Covid-19 had been issued a 14-day home surveillance order starting Oct 3.

Malaysia on Monday confirmed 432 new Covid-19 infections - 429 local transmissions and three imported cases - the highest daily increase since the pandemic hit the country.

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2020-10-05 08:40:41Z
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'Like wolves to Yellowstone': Tasmanian devils released on Australian mainland - CNA

SYDNEY: Tasmanian devils have been released into the wild on Australia's mainland 3,000 years after the feisty marsupials went extinct there, in what conservationists described Monday (Oct 5) as a "historic" step.

Aussie Ark, along with a coalition of other conservation groups, revealed Monday that they had released 26 of the carnivorous mammals into a 400ha sanctuary at Barrington Tops, about 3.5 hours north of Sydney.

Tasmanian devil populations have been ravaged by a mysterious facial-tumour disease. (Photo: AFP/Handout)

Tim Faulkner, president of Aussie Ark, said the "historic" releases in July and September were the first steps in a project akin to the successful move to return wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the United States in the 1990s.

After 16 years of work, including the establishment of mainland Australia's largest Tasmanian devil breeding programme, Faulkner said it was "incredible and surreal" to have reached the goal.

"It's the stuff dreams are made of," he told AFP.

"Our biggest native mainland predator is the tiger quoll - and they're just over a kilo - so to be bringing back something of this enormity is huge."

Tasmanian devils, which weigh up to 8kg and have a black or brown coat, typically prey on other native animals or scavenge carcasses.

According to government environmental authorities, devils are not dangerous to humans or livestock but will defend themselves if attacked and can cause serious injury.

The animals - known for their extremely loud growl, powerful jaws and ferocity when confronting rivals over food or mates - are classified as endangered after a contagious facial tumour disease ravaged the remaining population on the Australian island state of Tasmania.

It is estimated that fewer than 25,000 Tasmanian devils still live in the wild, down from as many as 150,000 before the mysterious, fatal disease first struck in the mid-1990s.

On Australia's mainland, they are believed to have been wiped out by packs of dingoes - wild dogs native to the vast continent - an estimated 3,000 years ago.

'SLICE OF TASMANIA'

Faulkner said it was hoped the project would create an "insurance population" against the face-tumour disease, which has so far proved untreatable, and help restore the native environment.

"Devils present one of the only natural solutions to the control of fox and the cat, and the fox and cat are responsible for nearly all of out 40 mammal extinctions (in Australia)," he added.

Conservationists feed some young Tasmanian devils by hand. (Photo: AFP/Handout)

"So there's more than the devil at stake here."

Aussie Ark selected the reintroduced devils for their breeding suitability, placing them in the sprawling, fenced area in the hopes of warding off threats to their survival including feral pests, noxious weeds and cars.

"We've put young, healthy devils in, we put them in now which gives them the best part of six months to settle, find their territory (and) prepare for breeding" which usually occurs in February, Faulkner said.

Another 40 are set to be released over the next two years into the sanctuary, which is on land bought by Aussie Ark for its habitat suitability, high number of herbivores and location near a national park.

"The land initially was selected because it's just like a slice of Tasmania," Faulkner said.

He said he was confident that close monitoring as the Tasmanian devils make the "massive transition" back to the wild - where they have no supplied food, water or shelter for the first time in their lives - would ensure the programme's early success.

Actors Chris Hemsworth (L) and Elsa Pataky helped release the animals at a sanctuary in New South Wales. (Photo: AFP/Handout)

As part of the "ambitious" rewilding scheme, Aussie Ark plans to eventually introduce more of the animals to unfenced areas, where they will contend with a much greater range of new threats including the country's notorious bushfires.

The Tasmanian devil is one of seven cornerstone species critical to Australia's ecosystem that Aussie Ark plans to reintroduce to the wild sanctuary in the coming years, along with quolls, bandicoots and rock wallabies.

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2020-10-05 04:13:49Z
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Minggu, 04 Oktober 2020

Trump's case of COVID-19 may be severe, experts say - CNA

NEW YORK: Doctors not involved in treating President Donald Trump for COVID-19 said the fact that he has been started on dexamethasone - a generic steroid widely used in other diseases to reduce inflammation - is the strongest evidence yet that his case may be severe.

Trump's medical team on Sunday (Oct 4) said the president was started on the steroid after experiencing low oxygen levels, but his condition was improving and he could be discharged from the hospital on Monday.

READ: Doctors monitoring Trump's lungs, giving steroid to fight COVID-19

READ: Trump criticised for leaving hospital to greet supporters in motorcade

"What I heard in the news conference description suggested the president has more severe illness than the generally upbeat picture painted," said Dr Daniel McQuillen, an infectious disease specialist at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts.

The Infectious Disease Society of America says dexamethasone is beneficial in people with critical or severe COVID-19 who require extra oxygen. But studies show that the drug is not helpful – and may even be harmful – in people with a milder case of the illness.

Given the patient is 74 years old, overweight and possibly at high risk of complications, "they were aggressive at the beginning", said Dr Stuart Cohen, chief of infectious disease at California's UC Davis Health.

He and other doctors who have been treating COVID-19 patients for months said Trump, who surprised cheering supporters outside the hospital by riding past in a motorcade Sunday evening, could still be discharged from the hospital. Trump returned to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after the short trip.

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"He's not going to go to a home where there's no medical care. There's basically a hospital in the White House," said Dr Walid Gellad, professor of medicine at University of Pittsburgh.

Trump was flown to the hospital on Friday hours after announcing that he had tested positive for coronavirus infection. While at the White House, the president was given an infusion of an experimental antibody treatment from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals that is being studied for early infections. On Saturday, the president was started on a five-day course of intravenous antiviral drug remdesivir, which is sold by Gilead Sciences.

Doctors have said that both of these drugs makes sense early in the course of illness to prevent it from getting worse, but dexamethasone is generally reserved for people whose condition has deteriorated.

"We give dexamethasone to patients who require supplemental oxygen," said Dr Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University.

If Trump no longer requires supplemental oxygen and is able to return to his normal activities, his doctors could discharge him from the hospital, he said.

"The biggest question would be is there a risk of deterioration, or is he on a good trajectory?" Dr Adalja said.

READ: What is the treatment plan for President Trump's COVID-19?

READ: Steroids cut death rates among critically ill COVID-19 patients, major study finds

COVID-19 is often characterised as having two phases – the viral infection itself and in some cases an overreaction of the body's immune system that can cause organ damage. "People sort of putter along for up to a week ... then everything goes downhill very quickly," Dr Cohen said. "It is always hard to predict who that is going to happen in."

Doctors said COVID-19 patients who have had a good response to treatment can leave the hospital relatively quickly, but they will still need to be closely monitored.

"Some people with COVID-19 develop worsening symptoms, shortness of breath and other complications about a week after they first develop symptoms," said Dr Rajesh Gandhi, an infectious disease physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Dr David Battinelli, chief medical officer at New York's Northwell Health said "it's entirely plausible" that Trump could get discharged on Monday, but cautioned that a full recovery would take time.

"It would be very unlikely for him to be out and about, and on the campaign trail in less than 14 days," he said.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the COVID-19 outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2020-10-05 03:56:15Z
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Trump's case of COVID-19 may be severe, experts say - CNA

READ: Doctors monitoring Trump's lungs, giving steroid to fight COVID-19

READ: Trump criticised for leaving hospital to greet supporters in motorcade

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"He's not going to go to a home where there's no medical care. There's basically a hospital in the White House," said Dr Walid Gellad, professor of medicine at University of Pittsburgh.

"We give dexamethasone to patients who require supplemental oxygen," said Dr Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University.

If Trump no longer requires supplemental oxygen and is able to return to his normal activities, his doctors could discharge him from the hospital, he said.

"The biggest question would be is there a risk of deterioration, or is he on a good trajectory?" Dr Adalja said.

READ: What is the treatment plan for President Trump's COVID-19?

READ: Steroids cut death rates among critically ill COVID-19 patients, major study finds

Doctors said COVID-19 patients who have had a good response to treatment can leave the hospital relatively quickly, but they will still need to be closely monitored.

Dr David Battinelli, chief medical officer at New York's Northwell Health said "it's entirely plausible" that Trump could get discharged on Monday, but cautioned that a full recovery would take time.

"It would be very unlikely for him to be out and about, and on the campaign trail in less than 14 days," he said.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the COVID-19 outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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After Trump tests positive, Biden campaign seeks to keep focus on COVID-19 response - CNA

WASHINGTON: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign strove on Sunday (Oct 4) to keep its focus on the nation's response to the coronavirus pandemic, as President Donald Trump received treatment for COVID-19 at a military hospital.

Biden, who shared a debate stage with Trump last Tuesday, tested negative for the coronavirus again on Sunday, following two negative tests on Friday, the day Trump disclosed his COVID-19 infection.,

Biden and his wife, Jill, are due to resume in-person campaigning on Monday in Florida, where opinion polls show a tight race for the state's crucial 29 electoral college votes less than a month before the Nov 3 election.

READ: Doctors monitoring Trump's lungs, giving steroid to fight COVID-19

READ: Trump criticised for leaving hospital to greet supporters in motorcade

Biden has repeatedly wished the president a speedy recovery. But the former vice president and his aides have used his Republican rival's positive test to underline a consistent campaign message: Biden would handle the pandemic better than Trump.

In a video posted on Twitter, Trump said he had "learned a lot about COVID" during his stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington.

"I learned it by really going to school –this is the real school, this isn't the let's read the book school – and I get it. And I understand it."

Tony Blinken, the Biden campaign's foreign policy adviser, shot back on Twitter that Trump's realisations about COVID-19 were "devastating" at this late stage.

"The time to do that was 200K deaths ago, not when it affected you. We all wish you well but also wish you had done your job. Please do it now," Blinken said.

READ: Trump's case of COVID-19 likely to be severe, experts say

Trump's campaign has begun describing the 74-year-old president as a "warrior" in messages to supporters that call for donations. On Sunday, Trump briefly rode in a motorcade outside his hospital to wave to supporters, igniting criticism he was putting others at risk.

Trump aides have continued to criticise Biden's cautious approach to the virus.

Jason Miller, a Trump campaign senior adviser, mocked Biden on Sunday for consistently wearing a face mask, telling ABC's This Week that the 77-year-old Democratic presidential nominee was using masks "as a prop".

Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told ABC that the Democratic nominee "has led by example", citing the campaign's use of masks, social distancing and limits on the number of people at campaign events.

Commentary - Trump's positive coronavirus test will worsen divides in America

The United States has recorded 7.4 million coronavirus infections and more than 209,000 deaths in the pandemic, more than any other country.

Voters could judge harshly an approach that continues to downplay the seriousness of the virus, said Kelly Dietrich, a Democratic strategist and founder of the National Democratic Training Committee, a group that trains party candidates.

"This has touched every American's life," he said.

CAMPAIGN GOES ON

In Florida on Monday, Biden will talk to Hispanic voters about his plan to rebuild the U.S. economy after the coronavirus, his campaign said.

More than 3.3 million ballots had already been cast nationwide by Sunday, according to the Elections Project at the University of Florida – as more Americans vote early or by mail to avoid being exposed to the virus at crowded polling places on Election Day.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken Friday and Saturday after the president tested positive for the coronavirus, found Biden leading Trump by 10 percentage points nationally and that nearly two-thirds of Americans thought that Trump probably would not have been infected if he had taken the virus more seriously.

READ: What happens if a US presidential candidate exits the race?

As Trump's doctors and aides gave sometimes unclear messages about the president's health situation over the weekend, Biden's campaign said it would publish the results of every COVID-19 test the candidate takes.

Biden would not need to do much to benefit from Trump's diagnosis, since many Americans already viewed Trump's approach to the virus as cavalier, said David Greenberg, a historian at Rutgers University.

"They're going to think that even more now, so I don't think Biden needs to hammer that home too hard," he said.

It remains uncertain when Trump will return to the campaign trail, if at all, and whether he will be able to participate in the second presidential debate on Oct 15.

Trump's campaign said on Saturday that high-profile allies including Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s elder sons, Donald Jr and Eric, would take over in-person campaigning this week.

Pence, who tested negative on Friday, is scheduled to debate Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Wednesday.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2020-10-05 01:52:30Z
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Doctors say Trump case of COVID-19 likely severe - CNA

Trump's medical team on Sunday said the president was started on the steroid after experiencing low oxygen levels, but his condition was improving and he could be discharged from the hospital on Monday.

"What I heard in the news conference description suggested the President has more severe illness than the generally upbeat picture painted," said Dr Daniel McQuillen, an infectious disease specialist at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts.

The Infectious Disease Society of America says dexamethasone is beneficial in people with critical or severe COVID-19 who require extra oxygen. But studies show that the drug is not helpful - and may even be harmful - in people with a milder case of the illness.

Doctors who have been treating COVID-19 patients for months said Trump, who surprised cheering supporters outside the hospital by riding past in a motorcade on Sunday evening, could still be discharged from the hospital. Trump returned to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after the short trip.

"He's not going to go to a home where there's no medical care. There's basically a hospital in the White House," said Dr Walid Gellad, professor of medicine at University of Pittsburgh.

READ: What is the treatment plan for President Trump's COVID-19?

Trump, 74, was flown to the hospital on Friday hours after announcing that he had tested positive for coronavirus infection.

While at the White House, the president was given an infusion of an experimental antibody treatment from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals that is being studied for early infections. On Saturday, the president was started on a five-day course of intravenous antiviral drug remdesivir, which is sold by Gilead Sciences.

If Trump no longer requires supplemental oxygen and is able to return to his normal activities, his doctors could discharge him from the hospital, said Dr Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University.

"The biggest question would be is there a risk of deterioration, or is he on a good trajectory?" he said.

COVID-19 is often characterised as having two phases - the viral infection itself and in some cases an overreaction of the body's immune system that can cause organ damage.

"People sort of putter along for up to a week ... then everything goes downhill very quickly," said Dr Stuart Cohen, chief of infectious disease at California's UC Davis Health. "It is always hard to predict who that is going to happen in."

Doctors said COVID-19 patients who have had a good response to treatment can leave the hospital relatively quickly, but they will still need to be closely monitored.

Dr David Battinelli, chief medical officer at New York's Northwell Health said "it's entirely plausible" that Trump could get discharged on Monday, but cautioned that a full recovery would take time.

"It would be very unlikely for him to be out and about, and on the campaign trail in less than 14 days," he said.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the COVID-19 outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2020-10-05 00:02:55Z
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