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Selasa, 25 Mei 2021

Hong Kong residents urged to get a Covid-19 jab soon before the available vaccines expire - The Straits Times

HONG KONG - Cities in the region may be off to a slow start in their inoculation drive due to the lack of supplies of Covid-19 vaccines, but in Hong Kong it is the reverse - there are ample supplies but not many willing takers.

Hong Kongers "only have a three-month window" before the city’s first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines go out of date, a member of the government's vaccine task force warned on Tuesday (May 25).

Urging the territory's residents to book an appointment now, Mr Thomas Tsang warned that Hong Kong may not be able to get its hands on more doses for the rest of the year.

Mr Tsang, a former controller of the Centre for Health Protection, drove home the point while speaking on public broadcaster RTHK's Hong Kong Today programme.

He noted that Hong Kong has been fortunate to be able to secure vaccines for the entire 7.5 million population but the take-up rate was only around 20 per cent.

The "unsatisfactory" take-up rate of both the Chinese Sinovac and German-made Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines has left officials, who are counting on vaccination to reopen the economy, with a headache.

So far, the free and voluntary vaccination programme that started in late February is open to those aged 16 and above, and more than 2.2 million doses of vaccines have been given.

Of these, about 1.3 million individuals have received the first dose, with more than half choosing the BioNTech shots.

Sinovac has yet to be approved by the World Health Organisation but was fast-tracked for use by city health regulators.

Mr Tsang attributed the low inoculation rate to a false perception that the jabs available are not safe.

Discouraging a wait-and-see approach, he said: "The whole world is scrambling for vaccines... What we have is probably all we have for the rest of the year."

Officials have in recent weeks been encouraging locals to get their shots, stressing that the community vaccination centres for BioNTech will cease operations after September, when the jabs expire.

"So we only have maybe a three-month window to get vaccinated if you are considering BioNTech. After that it may be much more difficult," Mr Tsang said.

Hong Kong secured 7.5 million doses each of Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNTech jabs.

A further order from AstraZeneca was cancelled due to safety concerns, but officials said they are looking at ordering a future second-generation vaccine.

Speaking ahead of the weekly executive council meeting, Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Tuesday said the government hopes employers in the private sector can provide incentives to encourage staff to get vaccinated.

Likewise, the government will incentivise people through policies, such as relaxing social distancing rules in step with the vaccination rate.

The government is also hoping to ease the aggressive testing of staff from various sectors, including healthcare and the civil service, as the vaccination rate goes up.

"At the moment, they are required to undergo testing every 14 days, but they may be exempted if they have been fully inoculated," Mrs Lam said, adding that the government is also considering giving civil servants who have taken their jabs days off.

But the government will not turn to giving out financial incentives as it may create an undesirable effect, she said.

So far, Hong Kong has managed to suppress the fourth wave of the pandemic, bringing the situation under control.

The city has recorded more than 11,800 confirmed infections and 210 deaths, with local cases down to between one and three in the past 28 days.

Senin, 24 Mei 2021

Malaysian train collision injures more than 200 people - Yahoo Singapore News

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Two light rail trains collided in a tunnel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, injuring more than 200 people, in the first major crash for the 23-year-old metro system.

Of the 213 injured, 47 were hospitalized for serious injuries and 166 had minor injuries. Pictures on social media after the Monday night collision showed bloodied passengers, some lying on the floor of the carriage strewn with blood and shattered glass.

Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong told local media that a metro train carrying 213 passengers collided with a vacant carriage on a test-run in a tunnel near the Petronas Towers, one of the world’s tallest twin towers.

“One carriage was travelling at 20 kilometers per hour (12.4 mph) and another at around 40 kilometers per hour (24.8 mph) when the collision happened. This caused a significant jolt that threw some passengers out of their seats,” he was quoted as saying.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin pledged a full investigation into the cause. Police said they suspected a miscommunication from the trains’ operation control center. The vacant carriage had a driver while the train with passengers was controlled by the operation center.

Train services resumed Tuesday morning.

Some passengers were left in shock. Afiq Luqman Mohamad Baharudin, 27, told national Bernama news agency that many people were flung from their seats or fell on the floor. He said the train had stopped for 15 minutes just before the mishap.

“We had only moved for a few seconds when the crash happened and the impact was so strong that I suffered injuries to my head, left leg and chest,” he was quoted as saying.

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2021-05-25 01:29:31Z
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Probe launched into Malaysian LRT crash as passengers recall being flung off their seats - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said the authorities have launched an investigation into a head-on collision involving two light rail transit (LRT) trains on Monday (May 24) night that left 213 people injured, 47 of them seriously.

The accident happened underground between the Kampung Baru and KLCC stations at 8.45pm.

Dr Wee, who went to the scene after the crash, said the injured passengers were rushed to Kuala Lumpur Hospital for treatment.

"As part of the government, we are sad to face such incidents because it is the first such accident in over 23 years of the LRT operating in Malaysia.

"Further investigations on the cause of the accident will commence immediately, " he told a press conference at Avenue K, one of the exits to the KLCC LRT station on the Kelana Jaya line.

Dr Wee said the collision happened between an empty carriage that was on a test run and another carrying passengers, but did not offer insights into any preliminary findings of what could have caused the incident.

"One carriage was travelling at 20kmh and another at around 40kmh when the collision happened, and this caused a significant jolt that threw some passengers out of their seats," he told reporters, adding that a full report of the incident is expected to be completed in no less than two weeks' time.

It is understood that one of the trains involved in the collision was not under passenger service, and was being manually driven, though the Kelana Jaya line runs on a fully automated mode under normal service.

Dang Wangi police department assistant commander Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said 47 individuals suffered serious injuries, while 166 were lightly injured.

On social media, several pictures and videos of the incident quickly went viral, with some depicting passengers bleeding profusely, while others were seen lying on the train floor.

There was broken glass strewn across the floor, with many passengers appearing disorientated.

One of the passengers, 27-year-old Afiq Luqman, told the Malay Mail newspaper that the impact of the collision flung everyone to the train's floor.

"The accident, which happened in the tunnel near KLCC, resulted in many passengers, both seated and standing, to suffer injuries," he said when contacted.

Images shared on social media show several train passengers suffering from injuries after the collision. PHOTOS: TWITTER

Mr Afiq said that before the accident, the train had stopped for 15 minutes before moving again.

"We had only moved for a few seconds when the crash happened and the impact was so strong that I suffered injuries to my head, left leg and chest," he said.

Mr Afiq said he and the other passengers were helped out by the security team and rushed to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for further treatment.

Another passenger who tweeted about the incident described the incident as a "tragedy".

Going by the Twitter handle @LimMahfudz, he shared videos and photos of the incident he had recorded.

While emerging relatively unscathed, he said some other passengers were injured by the train's broken glass panels while some were tossed around as the train stopped suddenly due to an emergency brake.

The difficulty in extracting the injured from this rare incident stems from the fact that they had to be manually stretchered out, or walk out on their own, from the mangled trains to the nearest underground station.

According to a Fire and Rescue Department spokesman, care had to be taken to ensure electricity on the track was cut before rescuers could access the wreckage, while injured passengers had to struggle to walk through the uneven surface and tight confines of the tunnel.

In a Facebook post last night, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin also said a thorough probe will be conducted by the authorities.

"I view this accident seriously and I have ordered the Transport Ministry and (state public transport firm) Prasarana Malaysia to conduct thorough investigations in order to ascertain the cause of this accident, and stern action will be taken immediately, " he said.

"The priority now must be given to the victims of the accident and I have ordered all sides to give full cooperation in order to ensure that victims get a comprehensive treatment, since we are also facing a worsening Covid-19 pandemic."

[Video] Perkhidmatan LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya berhadapan dengan satu insiden yang melibatkan tren bernombor 40 dan 81.
Usaha menyelamatkan mangsa sedang dijalankan.
Sumber: Prasarana Malaysia Berhad pic.twitter.com/gsbUhlgECv
— BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom) May 24, 2021

The Kelana Jaya line was the first fully automated metro line in Malaysia when it opened in 1998.

With 37 stations, it is the busiest metro line in the country, moving nearly 300,000 passengers on an average working day before Covid-19 landed.

The arrival of the pandemic easily wiped by around 40 per cent the ridership of a line known to carry up to 350,000 passengers a day during national events.

It is also the first metro line in Malaysia to have underground stations.

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2021-05-25 00:51:45Z
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China offers vaccines to Taiwan to fight COVID-19 - CNA

BEIJING: China on Monday (May 24) offered to urgently send COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan to help it battle a sharp rise in coronavirus infections, drawing an angry response from Taipei and a swipe from Washington, which said US vaccines did not have strings attached.

China and Chinese-claimed Taiwan have sparred repeatedly during the pandemic.

Taipei has accused Beijing of spreading fake news and trying to limit its access to the World Health Organization (WHO), while Beijing says Taipei is trying to politicise the pandemic for political gain.

READ: Taiwan criticises WHO's 'indifference' after failing to get into meeting

After months of relative safety from the pandemic, Taiwan is dealing with a spike in COVID-19 cases and is rapidly running out of vaccines, having received only slightly more than 700,000 to date for its more than 23 million people.

In a late night statement, China's policy-making Taiwan Affairs Office said it was extremely concerned about the epidemic currently "raging" in Taiwan, noting it had repeatedly offered help to the island.

Certain groups and people in Taiwan have been calling for the purchase of Chinese vaccines, it added.

READ: China's Fosun says it is willing to provide BioNTech vaccines to Taiwan

"Our attitude is very clear: We are willing to make arrangements quickly so that the vast majority of Taiwan compatriots will have mainland vaccines to use as soon as possible," the office said.

"If necessary, we are also willing to actively consider sending epidemic prevention and control experts to Taiwan, to share anti-epidemic experience with Taiwan's medical and health professionals."

"OBSTACLES"

But in response, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said China had not used any of the existing channels between the two to provide information about its vaccines, and implied that Beijing was behind Taiwan's difficulties in getting more shots.

"Every time Taiwan's internal epidemic heats up, it (China) criticises our government for obstructing the import of mainland vaccines," it said in a statement sent to Reuters.

"The other side knows what obstacles Taiwan is facing to obtain vaccines - everyone knows it. There's no point in saying any more."

READ: US condemns political use of COVID-19 vaccines after China-Taiwan tussle

Taiwan has repeatedly said it does not trust Chinese vaccines, and has been angered by what it says are Beijing's efforts to obstruct its access to the WHO, including the body's annual ministerial assembly that opened earlier on Monday.

A senior US administration official told Reuters that the "strong partnership on COVID-19" between Washington and Taipei would continue, and reiterated that the United States would give away at least 80 million doses around the world by end of June, more than either China or Russia.

"Importantly, our shots don't come with strings attached," the official said, without giving details on how many doses Taiwan might get.

READ: Taiwan to help allies buy vaccines, but not from China

"We're sharing vaccines with the world, and leading the world in a global vaccine strategy because it's the right thing to do," the official said.

China, Russia and the United States have sought to further their countries' geopolitical clout through so-called vaccine diplomacy, though the Chinese government has repeatedly denied that it uses the shots to gain diplomatic advantage.

China views Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and her ruling Democratic Progressive Party as separatists bent on formally declaring the island's independence.

Tsai says China has no right to speak for Taiwan and has denounced it for increased military activities near the island over the past year, which have continued even as Taipei battles increased COVID-19 cases.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments

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2021-05-24 23:59:35Z
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LRT passengers flung by impact of collision: Victims - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Passengers on a Kelana Jaya line Light Rail Transit (LRT) train on Monday (May 24) faced a harrowing moment when they were flung by the impact of its collision with another train.

Passenger Afiq Luqman Mohd Baharudin, 27, said the impact of the collision saw everyone being flung and falling to the floor.

“The accident, which happened in the tunnel near KLCC, resulted in many passengers, both seated and standing, to suffer injuries,” he said when contacted.

Aliq Luqman said that before the accident, the train had stopped for 15 minutes before moving again.

“We had only moved for a few seconds when the crash happened and the impact was so strong that I suffered injuries to my head, left leg and chest,” he said.

Afiq Luqman said he and the other passengers were helped out by the security team and rushed to the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital for further treatment.

Meanwhile, some victims took to social media to share their personal experiences of the crash.

Twitter user Lim Mahfudz was one of those who shared videos and photos of the incident, which he had recorded.

Describing the incident as a tragedy, he tweeted that he was all right and thanked God for saving his life, adding that the whole thing felt like a nightmare.

He said some passengers were also injured by the train’s broken glass panels while some were tossed around as the train stopped suddenly (when it hit the emergency brakes).

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2021-05-24 21:48:00Z
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More than 210 people injured after 2 LRT trains collide in Kuala Lumpur - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 210 people were injured after two LRT trains collided in Kuala Lumpur on Monday (May 24) evening.

Videos and photos of the incident on social media showed broken glass panels and several commuters bleeding.

Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa tweeted that early reports indicated that an LRT carrying passengers collided with another LRT that was "empty", resulting in passengers being "thrown" and "falling".

He added that the train with passengers was travelling from Ampang station.

Kelana Jaya Line incident — Malaysian civil defence officers evacuating injured commuters following a collision between two LRT trains. (Photo: Twitter/Bernama)

Kelana Jaya Line incident (3) — Malaysian fire and rescue personnel evacuating injured commuters following a collision between two LRT trains. (Photo: Twitter/Bernama)

"The incident happened underground of KLCC building. It is understood there are no deaths but there are those who are injured," he wrote.

Operator for the Kelana Jaya Line, Rapid Rail, tweeted that there was an incident on the line, involving train numbers 40 and 81.

"All injured passengers have been evacuated to the platform. Emergency aid and rescue is ongoing," the operator added.

In an interview, Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department chief Nordin Md Pauzi confirmed that 47 passengers were seriously injured while 166 people suffered light injuries.

Kelana Jaya Line incident (2) — Malaysian fire and rescue personnel evacuating injured commuters following a collision between two LRT trains. (Photo: Twitter/Bernama)

Dang Wangi OCPD Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Zainal Abdullah added that the incident may have occurred "due to a miscommunication at the operations centre" of the LRT line.

"We will investigate further if the cause of the breakdown is ... the result of carelessness or something else, because it involves public safety and many people were injured," he said.

Kelana Jaya Line incident (1) — Malaysian fire and rescue personnel evacuating injured commuters following a collision between two LRT trains. (Photo: Twitter/Bernama)

COLLISION IS THE FIRST ACCIDENT IN 23 YEARS

Speaking to journalists, Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong noted that the collision is the first accident in 23 years of LRT operations in Malaysia.

He said the ministry would establish a task force and a panel to investigate the cause of the accident.

"Tomorrow, the director-general of the Land Public Transport Agency will present the initial report to me.

"And in two weeks, this task force will present the investigation report to me. In two weeks we will be able to identify (whether the accident) is caused by error in the system, signaling or communication, or human error," he said.

Writing on Twitter, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the accident was a "serious" one. He said that he has instructed the Transport Ministry and the rail company Prasarana Malaysia to conduct a "full investigation to identify the cause of the accident". He added that "stern action will be taken immediately".

Mr Muhyiddin also said that priority must now be given to passengers who were injured. He said the relevant parties have been instructed to ensure that those who were injured will receive "full treatment".

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2021-05-24 16:07:30Z
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