KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia reported 199 deaths on Wednesday (July 21), the highest number of fatalities in a single day since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The previous highest daily toll was 153 on Sunday.
Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said the cumulative number of deaths now stands at 7,440.
Over 46 per cent of Wednesday's reported infections are from Selangor, at 5,550. Kuala Lumpur recorded 1,174 cases, out of 11,985 nationwide.
Last Saturday, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham said that 54.6 per cent of the 12,528 new Covid-19 cases recorded that day were asymptomatic while another 43.6 per cent showed only light symptoms.
In a bid to ease pressure on occupancy rates in wards, all non-Covid-19 patients currently being treated at public hospitals in the Klang Valley are to be transferred to private hospitals to make space for severe Covid-19 infections, following a government directive.
The letter from the Health Ministry dated Tuesday was addressed to Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) president Kuljit Singh, according to the Malay Mail news website.
"We are happy to help, and at the moment, many patients have been decanted since last night. The process is very smooth. Our aim is to help the government to create more space for Covid-19 patients at their facilities," Dr Kuljit was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
The letter stated that the cost of treatment for patients transferred to private hospitals will be absorbed by the government up to a certain amount.
Meanwhile, Deputy Health Minister Noor Azmi Ghazali said that recent cases where allegedly empty syringes were used during Covid-19 vaccinations might have been due to fatigue among health workers.
"If they are tired but keep going, they will be unproductive at work and not be at their best," he was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia on Wednesday.
He was commenting on allegations of empty syringes being used during vaccinations. Three incidents are presently under police investigation.
Disciplinary action has been taken over a recent case involving a drive-through vaccination centre in Sungai Petani, Kedah.
The government has been under pressure from the opposition and the public over its handling of the pandemic this year.
A group called Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR) is calling for Malaysians to take part in an anti-government street protest on July 31.
The group is calling for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to resign, for a full parliamentary session to be held, and for automatic bank loan moratoriums to be given to everyone during an ongoing nationwide lockdown.
The call comes four days after the group staged a flash mob at the capital's Independence Square last Saturday, which featured black flags and the effigies of dead bodies.
Police fined three organisers RM2,000 (S$645) each for breaching pandemic regulations that prohibit demonstrations.
BEIJING (AFP) - A manicured hand touches the train carriage window as a brown swirl of floodwater squeezes up against the tunnel outside - one of many scenes of desperation from an underground tragedy shared Wednesday (July 21) across a stunned Chinese social media.
At least twelve died and five others were injured in the subway flood, according to city authorities, as water coursed below ground on Tuesday evening in Zhengzhou in central China's Henan province.
Social media platform Weibo and local media outlets carried fragments of the horror - video posts seemingly made as a final testimony - of chest-high and rising water inside carriages as lights went out on the city's 'Line Five' during the commuter rush hour.
Videos showed platforms submerged by a fast-flowing muddy deluge, while inside commuters - some bemused, others terrified - stood as the water rose ominously around them, knocking the power out and forcing parents to hold up their children.
One video showed a woman's hand with painted nails, gently pushing at the carriage window, a stirring sign of incredulity at the surging water level outside - a moment of dread before the inevitable breach of the carriage doors.
"Water was leaking from the cracks in the door, more and more of it, all of us who could, stood on the subway seats," another woman said on Weibo.
She was making her way home around 5pm on Tuesday when her train halted between two stations close to the city centre.
Another user on Weibo recounted being forced back into a carriage after failed attempts to evacuate.
"In the half-hour that, followed the water level became higher and higher inside the train, from our ankles to our knees to our necks. The power went out. Half an hour later it got hard to breathe."
Survivors said parents lifted their children above the torrent as dread gripped the carriages.
Suddenly the glass was smashed by rescuers, who state media said also cut into the stricken carriages from above to pull passengers out to safety.
A male survivor named Zhang told state broadcaster CCTV: "My shirt, my backpack - everything I could throw away, I threw away. The people around me clutched onto the railings as about a dozen of us were climbing (out of the tunnel)." Heavy rainstorms that have battered Zhengzhou since Saturday were blamed for the calamity.
Days of record rains poured down on the city of 10 million and its surroundings, but nothing prepared residents for what was about to happen.
Social media blew up with messages from panicked relatives of residents in Zhengzhou desperate to reach home as communications went down.
"Is the second floor in danger? My parents live there, but I can't get through to them on the phone," one user wrote.
BEIJING: Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine elicited weaker antibody responses against the Delta variant, based on the first published study of its effect against the more contagious version.
Antibody levels in people receiving Sinopharm's BBIBP-CorV vaccine had a 1.38-fold reduction to the Delta variant versus an older version of the coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, a lab study based on samples from people in Sri Lanka showed.
The study was conducted by scientists from University of Sri Jayewardenepura as well as Colombo Municipal Council in Sri Lanka, and University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
The Delta variant, first found in India late last year, has since become the dominant version of the virus worldwide and is behind a recent surge in infections reported in many countries including Britain, Indonesia, the United States and South Korea.
It has been detected in more than 90 nations worldwide.
The vaccine from Sinopharm, formally China National Pharmaceutical Group, also showed a more pronounced 10-fold decrease in antibody levels to the Beta variant, first found in South Africa, the study, published on Monday ahead of peer review, showed.
Researchers said they found no significant difference in levels of antibodies to the two variants from blood serum of vaccinated people compared with the serum of those who had been naturally infected.
This suggested that Sinopharm's vaccine may be able to induce antibody-based responses against the two variants similar to the levels seen following natural infection, the paper said.
The two-dose vaccine is one of the most widely used COVID-19 shots in China, and Sinopharm agreed to provide up to 170 million doses to the global vaccine sharing scheme COVAX through to the middle of 2022.
JOHOR BAHRU: COVID-19 has coincided with the waxing of power in the institution of royalty in Malaysia.
It started in February 2020 when a newly crowned Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah was confronted with a political impasse after then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned, leading to the breakdown in the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition.
The king was suddenly kingmaker. His assent made Muhyiddin Yassin Prime Minister.
The king has also played the role of arbiter when he granted Anwar Ibrahim an audience in October 2020 but declined his appeal to form a new government.
And he was also the voice of caution in turning down PM Muhyiddin Yassin’s initial request for a State of Emergency but acceded to it in January given the surge of COVID-19 infections nation-wide.
The newly installed 16th King of Malaysia at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Jan 31. (Photo: AFP/Department of Information)
The Agong again took centre stage in June amid a deteriorating COVID-19 situation and brewing concerns over whether the State of Emergency could be used to sidestep parliamentary debate and entrench the ruling coalition’s power.
As he did in early 2020, he once again carefully consulted with lawmakers and representatives from all political parties, and thereafter with the Conference of Rulers, before coming to a decision.
The Agong declared that Parliament had to be reconvened immediately, and shortly after, the Conference of Rulers released a separate announcement that included their resolution that the State of Emergency should not be extended.
The Agong then reinforced his decision by summoning the Speaker of the House and the Senate president to discuss the reopening of Parliament.
ABOVE POLITICS
In a constitutional monarchy such as Malaysia, the royal institution acts in a manner beyond politics.
When the government is strong, the royal institution has become more of a figurehead or is made so. Under Mahathir’s first prime ministership, the constitution was amended to remove royal powers of legislative veto and immunity, while restrictions on the costs borne by the state for their upkeep were imposed.
Malaysia's Conference of Rulers is believed to have held a special meeting at Istana Negara to discuss the date for selecting the country's next king. (Photo: Bernama)
During times of weak governance, the political vacuum gives royal houses space to be more vocal, as in 2015 when the Conference of Rulers urged for a swift resolution to the 1MDB scandal.
The Agong and the royal houses are currently seen as the only remaining institution of sense that can act in the interests of the people.
This is also partially because royalty derives its authority from history. Traditionally a deeply feudal society, many Malaysians have an ingrained respect for royalty and see the rulers as a necessary check-and-balance on the government in power and an authoritative voice on sensitive, religious issues.
When rising Islamism saw some assert that Christmas greetings were haram in 2018, the Sultan of Johor spoke out against such extreme views and wished Malaysians Merry Christmas. The Agong similarly conveyed Deepavali greetings in 2020.
MALAYSIA’S DETERIORATING SITUATION
The role of the Agong could come into sharper focus as Malaysia sails through some of its bleakest days in the weeks ahead.
Daily death rates breached 150, with numbers in the intensive care unit hovering at about 900, and half needing breathing assistance as of Sunday (Jul 15). The youngest victim of COVID-19, a 38-week-old baby, was buried this last week. A number of pregnant mothers have also died.
Hospitals, especially in the Klang Valley, remain full. Some COVID-19 patients are either turned away or checked into hotels that have been converted into quarantine facilities.
Malaysians have suffered job losses, wage decreases and entire industry closures. Some have been evicted because they cannot pay rent. Others struggle to service their debts and feed their families.
The Polis Diraja Malaysia reported an average of two to three suicides a day in the first five months of 2021 – almost double the number from 2020 and 2019.
Since the first MCO, non-governmental organisations and citizens groups have mobilised aid, with a new wave of renewed efforts arising in the white flag movement to help those who fall through the cracks. Others created an online app to map everyone who needed help, and the location of the nearest food banks.
Ruji Rabu, an evolution of Undi Rabu, a movement that raised funds to sponsor Malaysians to vote in their district during the 14th General Election, now distributes cash to those in need.
A resident hangs a white flag in Johor, Malaysia. (Photo: AP)
Amid shining examples of how Malaysians are uniting to help each other, there is deep despair. People just want things to go back to pre-COVID “normal”.
WAITING TO SEE IF CONCERNS CAN BE ADDRESSED IN PARLIAMENT
Malaysians are waiting to see if next week’s Parliament session can move the needle on the country’s situation.
They want Parliament to exercise pressure so the economy functions for everyone, not just the big players and factories.
They want to see more transparency in aid disbursement amid concerns about plans to tap into the National Trust Fund. And on a far simpler level, many rural Malaysians just want the 10km travel curbs to be removed.
Aid for small, medium and microbusinesses (SMEs) have not stopped over 100,000 businesses from closing since the first MCO. The SME Association of Malaysia estimates that around 50,000 more will close if the current lockdown is extended.
The Malaysian government has disbursed financial aid packages since COVID-19 but ground feedback suggests that those in dire need have trouble accessing help because of administrative hurdles or a lack of information.
The government has also launched a RM21 million Bakul Prihatin Negeri national food bank initiative aimed at helping 1.68 million Malaysians.
Large stocks of rice and other household needs have been sent to towns and villages but residents in parts of rural Johor are concerned with how their personal registration details will be used.
LIGHT AT END OF TUNNEL?
In theory, the Agong does not hold much power. Malaysian kings are bound by restrictions in the constitution – they do not have a blanket ability to force a sitting government to take a certain course of action or change its leadership.
Malaysia's parliament has been suspended since the king declared a national emergency last month. (Photo: AFP/Khirul Nizal Zanil)
But the Agong could play a tie-breaker role in a current dispute between Parliamentary Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun and the Pakatan Harapan presidential council, when the latter has expressed concerns that the interim parliamentary sitting will be reduced to a mere ministerial briefing with no room for debate, hence going against the Agong’s decree.
The political establishment knows that the Agong will be monitoring Parliamentary proceedings and could make a subsequent declaration on whether they meet the interests of the people, and are trying to ringfence what he might say.
Attorney-General (AG) Idrus Harun recently highlighted how the Agong remains a constitutional monarch bound by the advice of Cabinet even in a State of Emergency. Similarly, former Chief Justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad pointedly stated that any action from the Palace conflicting with the AG’s advice could be legally challenged.
To be sure, the reopening of Parliament will not magically resolve Malaysia’s problems or erase the pandemic overnight. Questions over how vaccination can be ramped up, vaccination expenses and how much longer the people must wait for the economy to reopen may not be answered in a week.
While there is a general sigh of relief that the Agong has been able to compel a parliamentary sitting, there has been little change on the ground.
But for now, it seems that the royal houses have fulfilled their role as a check-and-balance to the government in power. For some, that flicker of hope in dark times may be enough.
Dr Serina Rahman, Visiting Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, writes from Johor where she’s in lockdown with the rest of Malaysia.
BEIJING: The Chinese army warned that a stricken dam in the centre of the country "could collapse at any time" after being severely damaged in torrential storms that killed at least three people and brought the region to a standstill.
Weather authorities have issued the highest warning level for central Henan province as downpours caused widespread disruption and the evacuation of residents of flooded streets.
On Tuesday evening the regional unit of the People's Liberation Army warned that the relentless downpour had caused a 20m breach in the Yihetan dam in Luoyang - a city of around seven million people - with the risk that it "may collapse at any time."
The PLA's Central Theater Command said it had sent soldiers to carry out an emergency response including blasting and flood diversion.
"On Jul 20, a 20m breach occurred at the Yihetan dam .... the riverbank was severely damaged and the dam may collapse at any time," it said in the statement.
Floods are common during China's rainy season, which causes annual chaos and washes away roads, crops and houses.
But the threat has worsened over the decades, due in part to widespread construction of dams and levees that have cut connections between the river and adjacent lakes and disrupted floodplains that had helped absorb the summer surge.
In the nearby city of Zhengzhou, at least one person died and two more were missing since heavy rain began battering the city, according to the state-run People's Daily, which reported that houses have collapsed.
Local media reported that two people died when a wall collapsed in another district of the city.
According to the weather authorities, the rainfall was the highest recorded since record keeping began sixty years ago as the city saw an average year's worth of rainfall in just three days.
Authorities closed Zhengzhou's flooded subway system and cancelled hundreds of flights.
Unverified videos on social media showed passengers in a flooded underground train carriage in Zhengzhou clinging to handles as the water inside surged to shoulder height, with some standing on seats.
Water could be seen gushing through an empty underground platform in state broadcaster CCTV's footage.
On its official Weibo account, the fire service shared reports that passengers were being rescued from stranded trains, but did not post its own statement.
One passenger's account said fire and rescue workers had opened a hole in the roof of her carriage and evacuated passengers one by one.
Footage showed one man sitting on top of his half-submerged car in an underpass.
More than 10,000 people had been evacuated as of Tuesday afternoon, said provincial authorities, warning that 16 reservoirs had seen water rise to dangerous levels as downpours ruined thousands of acres of crops and caused damage amounting to around US$11 million.
BEIJING: Heavy rain pounded the central Chinese province of Henan on Tuesday (Jul 20), bursting the banks of major rivers, flooding the streets of a dozen cities and shutting the world-famous Shaolin Temple.
Henan, a major logistics hub, has been hit by storms since the weekend in an unusually active rainy season. Train services were suspended, while many highways were closed and flights delayed or cancelled.
In the provincial capital of Zhengzhou, by the banks of the Yellow River, at least three people have died as it braces for further severe downpours.
Unverified videos on social media showed passengers in a flooded underground train carriage in central Zhengzhou clinging to handles as the water surged up to shoulder height, with some standing on seats.
Water could be seen gushing through an empty underground platform in state broadcaster CCTV's footage.
The city's subway operator said in a statement Tuesday that it would close all stations on all its lines due to the bad weather.
Residents were also seen wading through knee-high water to cross submerged street intersections.
A resident wearing a rain cover stands on a flooded road in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China on Jul 20, 2021. (Photo: cnsphoto via Reuters)
At least one person died and two more were missing since the heavy rain started Monday, according to the state-run People's Daily, which reported that houses have collapsed.
Local media reported earlier that two people had been killed when a wall collapsed in another district of the city.
In Ruzhou, a city southwest of Zhengzhou, streets have been turned into torrents, sweeping away cars and other vehicles, footage on social media showed.
A rising Yi River also threatened to hit the Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site featuring millennium-old Buddhist statues etched into limestone cliffs near the city of Luoyang.
Like the Longmen Grottoes, the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng city, famous in the West for its martial arts, has been temporarily shut.
Also in Dengfeng, an aluminium alloy plant exploded on Tuesday as water from a river surged into the factory.
At least 31 large and medium-sized reservoirs in the province have exceeded their warning levels.
From Saturday to Tuesday, 3,535 weather stations in Henan saw rainfall exceed 50mm, of which 1,614 registered levels above 100mm and 151 above 250mm.
The highest was in Lushan city, which saw 498mm of rain, according to the provincial weather bureau.
"This is the heaviest rain since I was born, with so many familiar places flooded," said an Internet user in the inundated city of Gongyi on Chinese social media.
Rain is forecast to stop by Thursday.
Floods are common during China's rainy season, which causes annual chaos and washes away roads, crops and houses.
But the threat has worsened over the decades, due in part to widespread construction of dams and levees that have cut connections between the river and adjacent lakes and disrupt floodplains that had helped absorb the summer surge.
Earlier this month hundreds of flights were cancelled in the capital Beijing and other nearby cities with schools and tourist sites closed as torrential downpours and gale-force winds battered the region.
