#covidnow

[theotherjourney7]

“The Week In Covid

A look at what's happened with Covid this week (as Friday 8 April 2022). Excuse the abundance of sarcasm - it's been a tough week for truth and logic!

1. Hancock (the UK's former Health Secretary) made the news again this week, in what I initially thought was a psychology experiment testing "just how much BS will the public take'.

2. He claimed the UK pandemic strategy of ‘suppressing the virus until vaccines and treatments were available’ was the right one, he’s glad they followed it, and they have beaten Covid.

3. It transpired he was being serious. Or at least he was serious he wanted the public to believe it. When folk pointed out his government didn’t suppress the virus until they had to and their delays led to some of the longest national lockdowns in the world, 10s of thousands dying, 100’s of thousands left moribund, the biggest fall in GDP of all OCED countries, thousands of businesses going bankrupt, the BBC swiftly took him to task for trying to re-write history and reported widely on it. Sorry, they didn’t really.

4. The symptom profile in the UK was expanded this week. It now includes the commonest symptoms of Covid, two years after we knew the commonest symptoms of Covid, and about eighteen months after acknowledging the actual symptoms of Covid could have helped suppress the virus until vaccines were available.

5. But the expanded symptom profile is just in time - the same week - as shops start to sell Covid tests. Maybe Johnson and Hancock’s mates have taken enough of the taxpayers money and it’s time for someone else to make some bucks off a pandemic that is robbing people of their freedoms and loved-ones.

6. The public now have to pay to test for a disease the government are wilfully permitting to spread (a lesson in supply and demand economics), only to be allowed to spread it freely anyway…

7 ...They have now officially moved from shafting the public discretely to shafting the public at every opportunity and in plain sight.

8. The ‘Covid is like the Flu’ crowd were served another blow as Covid hospital admissions peaked higher than they did in January, a mere three months ago. Either climate change is really playing havoc - it is - and we are having several winters a year - we’re not -, or Covid isn’t the fecking Flu!

9. But apparently, according to experts (I mean, armchair pundits) it’s OK the hospitals are filling up, because only half are in ‘primarily’ for Covid…Apparently if you go to hospital for a reason that isn’t Covid, Covid can’t harm you…no, that can’t be right. Oh yeah, its the endless stream of BS from the denialists.

10. Estimates put hospital acquired Covid at 22% of all inpatient Covid cases. Meanwhile, staff are still expected to wear plastic bibs and paper masks to protect themselves and their patients. It’s not like they are dealing with high risk patients, or we can’t afford staff going off sick. Oh wait, they are and we can’t.

11.The Govs HSE are now refusing to pursue the allegation that their guidelines on PPE for staff are stupid and likely led to avoidable HCW deaths, as alleged by one of their senior advisers (the death bit).

12. And if the allure of working on the NHS frontline wasn’t great enough, on top of the ‘we don’t give a sh!t about you PPE guidelines’ and the ‘why don’t you have a real world pay cut’ incentives, staff must now join patients in England in paying for parking. But Johnson loves the NHS, honest!

13. Just to prove Johnson has won the fight against Covid, the public in a number of areas were told not to go to hospital unless problems were life-threatening due to ‘high levels of Covid cases’.

14. Other A&E departments had to turn ambulances away because they were too full because of “high levels of Covid cases”.

15. Elective operations also had to be cancelled due to…yes…you’ve guessed it…’high levels of Covid cases’.

15. But don’t worry Javid and his mates have a solution that will reverse the decade of underfunding and neglect his government have pursued, the refusal to strengthen the NHS during the pandemic, and their inability to appreciate the need to actually care for those who get Covid

16. Their Covid Recovery Plan (no not a rehab service for those recovering from Covid. Wouldn’t that be nice.) will take more of the public’s money for the NHS and invest it in the…private sector. Wait, let me check my notes again…yes they will strengthen the NHS by investing more of the NHS’s money in the private sector. Maybe we didn’t pay them enough to do near f’all during the initial stages of the pandemic.

And apparently paying a private hospital to do knee operations will free up some ambulances, GPs, and A&E staff to treat strokes, heart attacks and cancer. No, makes perfect sense, when you don’t have an utter scoobie about how healthcare actually works.

17. But seriously, what could go wrong putting a bunch of out-of-touch accountants in charge of the public’s health?

18.Speaking of out of touch unqualified Ministers, this week the Education Minister said it was fine not to wear a mask because he washed his hands a lot.

19. In other news, WHO declare that Covid is airborne.

20. And in other news, Long Covid rates in children climb even higher, as yet more evidence emerged of physical consequences of repeated exposure to a SARS virus - who could have guessed?

21. The Government responded to a number of business sectors request to limit the impact of Covid on their businesses. To which the Government duly tried to limit the impact of a rapidly spreading virus by stopping anything that would stop it spreading.

22. In other news, the economic recovery falters and businesses struggle as staff members contract some sort of mysterious viral illness. They think it may be a viral infection called ‘Like-the-flu honestus' derived from the Latin word ‘Fuk’um’. Oh wait, no, it’s Covid!

23. A number of business leaders ask the Government to bring back free testing. Not the businesses making money from the tests, other businesses losing money because there are no free test. It all gets a bit confusing.”-Dr. Dan Goyal

[thisisbjoeblog]

Outbreak 2021: Deciphering Big Data From Ministry of Health

Outbreak 2021: Deciphering Big Data From Ministry of Health

As of 10th September 2021, the data from the various sources shows that Malaysia has achieved 52% of the population to be fully vaccinated which is quite close to the percentage achieved by United States (almost 53%). Statistic Source: Our World In Data. Continue reading

[upseducation]

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[soclaimon]

97.6% of Malaysia’s adult population fully vaccinated

97.6% of Malaysia’s adult population fully vaccinated

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation. https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40010455 KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 22,836,859 individuals, or 97.6%, of the adult population in the country have completed their Covid-19 vaccination as of Sunday (Dec 26). Based on the Health Ministry’s CovidNow website, 23,135,883 individuals, or 98.9%, of the group have received at…

[jdigital]

Covid-19: 5,162 kes hari ini

Covid-19: 5,162 kes hari ini

PETALING JAYA:  Sebanyak 5,162 kes Covid-19 dicatatkan hari ini berbanding semalam, 5,805 kes. Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan,Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah berkata, dengan jumlah tersebut menjadikan sebanyak 2,546,309.   individu sudah dijangkiti virus terbabit setakat ini. “Maklumat terperinci dimuat naik ke laman Covidnow: https://covidnow.moh.gov.my,” katanya menerusi Facebook hari ini. Berikut…

[itzjunn]

The dissemination of COVID-19 Fake News On Social Media in Malaysia

Coronavirus (Covid-19) 

The Coronavirus (Covid-19) has prompted widespread concern around the world, but the emergence of fake news has exacerbated the problem. When people are afraid and desperate for information during a pandemic, fake news may quickly escalate from bothersome to harmful (UNICEF 2021).

According to WHO(2021), the majority of those infected with the coronavirus will have mild to moderate respiratory symptoms and will recover without the need for medical assistance. Some, on the other hand, will become critically unwell and require medical assistance. Besides, serious sickness is more likely to strike the elderly and those with underlying medical disorders such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, or cancer. COVID-19 can make anyone sick and cause them to get very ill or die at any age.

Image taken from COVIDNOW (2021)

Image taken from COVIDNOW (2021)

In Malaysia, there are a total of 2,413,592 coronavirus cases and 28,234 deaths updated on 21 October 2021. 

How COVID-19 fake news has changed in Malaysia?

First, let’s look at some of the fake news examples...

In August of last year, a message went viral on social media claiming that infrared thermometers, which are commonly used to check people as they enter a building, were causing brain injury.

In May of this year, a two-minute and 48-second audio clip surfaced, featuring an allegation by an anonymous source that Covid-19 vaccines were deadly and had resulted in the deaths of 40 nurses who had received them.

According to the analysis by The Star, the authorities had to deal with 550 highly spread fake news stories concerning Covid-19 since the pandemic began last year (PFORDTEN 2021).

Image taken from PFORDTEN (2021)

This figure above has shown the number and type of fake news online and how it has changed over the past years. 

In the first half of last year, the majority of fake news claims focused on the spread of Covid-19 instances at specific sites, as well as the execution of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and various types of movement restriction orders (PFORDTEN 2021) .

This was between March 18 and June 7, 2020, when the outbreak initially hit the country and the first MCO was enforced. This year, Covid-19 vaccinations have been the target of a lot of bogus news on WhatsApp and social media (PFORDTEN 2021) . 

Some of them are ridiculous, such as the propaganda that eating durian immediately before or after getting vaccinated can result in death (PFORDTEN 2021) .

The impacts of spreading fake news through social media

Based on (Ngadiron, Aziz & Mohamed 2021), the dissemination of fake news has bring serious impact to cause a severe and unbalanced psychological fear. They stated that this psychological apprehension stems from a combination of emotional reasons and a lack of understanding about Covid-19. The fear is heightened by a slew of disinformation. This is exacerbated by the erroneous notion that everyone in the vicinity is infected with the Covid-19 virus.

For instance, there are stall sellers in Johor Bahru's Kempas Community Center who were slandered for allegedly belonging to the Covid-19 Red Zone. Visitors to the Community Center were terrified to set foot in the region because of the conduct of some irresponsible individuals that propagate misinformation. At the same time, it has a 30% impact on the income of dealers in the area (Ngadiron, Aziz & Mohamed 2021).

In addition, many people, especially on social media, make the mistake of identifying false information. One of the causes is that society would be too fast in accepting and sharing information due to a lack of understanding on how to filter accurate information (Ngadiron, Aziz & Mohamed 2021).

For example, consumers rushed to shops and supermarkets to buy products in huge numbers and outside of daily necessities in a panic-buying situation before the Movement Control Order (PKP). If the state of fear is not controlled, it will surely deteriorate, resulting in rejection, misinterpretation, conflict, and strife (Ngadiron, Aziz & Mohamed 2021).

Despite that, the most obvious scenario that can be observed is that there are people being prejudiced, and this will exacerbate stereotyped public attitudes. As the COVID-19 is originated from Wuhan, China, anti-Asian animosity has skyrocketed and also leads to the breakdown of unity between multi-ethnic and religious community. These effects are usually caused by conducting hate speech, instigation, or use of violence against any group such as blaming Chinese, Tabligh groups, immigrants, or refugees (Ngadiron, Aziz & Mohamed 2021).

Approaches against misinformation and disinformation

The Malaysia government has announced the anti-fake-news legislation called The Emergency (Essential Powers 2.0) Ordinance 2021 under its emergency powers in order to tackle misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the law, anyone found guilty of "intentionally causing, or likely to induce, fear or alarm to the public, or to any segment of the public" faces a RM100,000 fine, three years in prison, or both. A person can be punished up to RM100,000 each day if the violation persists. Institutions that provide financial support to news outlets that aim to publish fake news face a fine of up to RM500,000, six years in prison, or both (Ang 2021).

Video taken from The Star (2021)

Moreover, the law also permits law enforcement to take "necessary measures" to eradicate fake news and gives them access to data such as passwords and encryption codes, with penalties imposed on those who refuse to cooperate (JAZEERA 2021).

Besides, MCMC has held digital literacy programmes to raise awareness among Malaysians. According to reports, the programmes touched 1.5 million Malaysians in 2017 (Yatid 2019). In accordance with Tan Sri Annuar Musa, greater awareness among Malaysians has resulted in a drop in fake news regarding Covid-19 and vaccines on social media compared to when the vaccination programme was first established (CARVALHO, RAHIM & TAN 2021). Thus, it acts as the crucial aspect for the success of ongoing vaccination programme.

Reference List

CARVALHO, M, RAHIM, R & TAN, T 2021, ‘Fewer fake news stories on Covid-19′, Star Media Group Berhad, 21 Sept, viewed 22 October 2021, <https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/09/21/fewer-fake-news-stories-on-covid-19>.

COVIDNOW 2021, COVIDNOW in Malaysia, COVIDNOW, viewed 22 October 2021, <https://covidnow.moh.gov.my/>.

JAZEERA, A 2021, ‘Malaysia cites COVID-19 misinformation with new ‘fake news’ law‘, Al Jazeera Media Network, 12 Mar, viewed 22 October 2021, <https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/12/malaysia-cites-covid-19-misinformation-with-new-fake-news-law>.

Ngadiron, S, Aziz, AA & Mohamed, SS 2021, ‘THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 FAKE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS IMPACT AMONG MALAYSIANS’, International Journal of Law, vol. 6, no. 22, pp. 257-258, viewed 22 October 2021, <http://www.ijlgc.com/PDF/IJLGC-2021-22-03-24.pdf>.

PFORDTEN, D 2021, ‘INTERACTIVE: How fake news about Covid-19 has shifted, and what to look out for ‘, Star Media Group Berhad, 13 Jul, viewed 22 October 2021, <https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/07/13/interactive-how-fake-news-about-covid-19-has-shifted-and-what-to-look-out-for>.

The Star 2021, Mother of five fined RM12,000 for spreading fake news on Covid-19 vaccine, 6 Sept, viewed 22 October 2021, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9wIfBjUPgY&ab_channel=TheStar>.

UNICEF 2021, Coronavirus (COVID-19), UNICEF, viewed 22 October 2021, <https://www.unicef.org/malaysia/coronavirus-covid-19>.

WHO 2021, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), WHO, viewed 22 October 2021, <https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1>.

Yatid, MM 2021, ‘Truth Tampering through Social Media Malaysia’s Approach in Fighting Disinformation & Misinformation’, Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, p. 67, viewed 22 October 2021, <https://pssat.ugm.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/sites/513/2019/03/Paper-4.pdf>.

[thelittleboywhoneversleeps]

Omg.... Mistakes in Calculation... (16 Sept Edition)

Status Update for Vaccination Rates in Malaysia and Japan (Accurate to the best of my knowledge... Face palm**):

Total Of Days to 100%:

Performance of Vaccination per day:

Overall statistics is that vaccine rates are down for both countries. Which translate to lower vaccination acceptance. I think this is due to people who are unregistered for Malaysia. Not long now... Hopefully we ramp up again!

Source (COVIDNOW):

[emzeciorrr]

india | in sound & vision from Nathan Hussein on Vimeo.

I’m sharing this film along with a donation to the British Asian Trust, who are currently helping to provide emergency oxygen to India. Please donate if you can: britishasiantrust.enthuse.com/covidnow# __

Shot in 2017 over two months travelling across India, from Amritsar to Kerala.

The music and soundtrack are comprised entirely (ok, mostly) from sounds recorded organically: The voice of a Kathakali performance in Kerala; the drums from a dance in Pushkar; the sound of a man trying to sell us a flute on the streets of Varanasi.

Whilst showcasing many of India's natural and man-made beauties, the film focuses on the people that truly make it a wonderfully unique place. Particular care was taken with the immersive, continuous edit. All transitions are ‘in-camera’ - No artificial filters, presets or masking. __

Photography, edit, music & sound design by Nathan Hussein

instagram.com/nathanhussein_photos

Shot on Panasonic Lumix GH5

[theotherjourney7]

“Long COVID data just out from the ONS (7 April 2022)

-1.7 million people now living with long COVID (28 day definition) - that's 1 in 37 people in the commiunity

-780,000 have had this for *more than a yr*

-at least 334000 got this during the omicron wave (impact since Feb not felt yet)

There have been increases in *all age groups* during the omicron wave. Increases have been greatest in younger children (1.5 fold increase in 2-11 yrs in a *single month*). We now have almost 150,000 children with long COVID for 4 wks of whom 31,000 have had this for > 1 yr.

2.7% (1 in 37 people) of the general population has long COVID, but prevalence is higher among teaching staff, health and social care workers, those from more deprived areas, and those with baseline poor health and disabilities.

I've heard many people assume that omicron will be 'milder' with respect to long COVID- it's hard to know what the incidence of long COVID with omicron vs delta is, but it's clear that we're seeing large absolute increases in long COVID month on month since omicron.

So the absolute impact is quite significant regardless of what the incidence is post infection- because infection risk has been massive, and millions have been infected in a very short period of time. These data only show impacts up to early Feb infections so far.

We're seeing increases in all age groups - including highly vaccinated age groups - but increases are disproportionately high among young children- which is likely a combination of mass exposure and lack of vaccinations & other protections.

I can't think of another disease that's led to 780,000 (1 in 83 people) having symptoms for more than a yr that we've allowed to spread across the population- this number has been increasing month on month despite the high levels of vaccination/boosting that have been achieved.

And I can't think of a disease we've allowed to spread across children as if innocuous that's led to 31,000 children being ill for more than a year, and almost 150,000 for 4 wks or more. These are children- and this isn't 'low impact'. Even 4 wks of illness is a lot for a child.

Any policy of 'living with it' that doesn't allude to prevention and treatment of long COVID isn't grounded in current evidence & is deeply flawed. Worth paying attention to those who support a policies of high transmission without alluding to these impacts at population level…..”!-Dr. Deepti Gurdasani

[upseducation]

School Counsellors Certificate Program!! “The need for school counselors is rising post-CovidNow, is the time to build on your skills” Click here to Enroll Now: https://www.upseducation.in/online-psychology-coaching/School-Counsellors-Certificate-Program

For more details, contact us on.

 _______________

UPS Education

Ph: 9990717772

Web: www.upseducation.in

#schoolcounseling #schoolcourse #schoolcounselor #schoolcounselorcourse #certificatecourse #certification #rcifaculity #registredfaculity #psychologycourse #psychologystudent #psychologygrads #intrestedinpsychology #intrestedpsychology #certificateforpsychology #psychologyadmission #psychologyfacts #certificateforpsychology #upseducation #entrance #prepration #upscourse #certificate #rcipsychologist #rcifacts #course

[jdigital]

4,979 kes baharu Covid-19

4,979 kes baharu Covid-19

PETALING JAYA: Sebanyak 4,979 kes positif baharu Covid-19 dicatatkan hari ini, berbanding 5,854 kes semalam. Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah berkata, jumlah itu meliputi 2,471,642 kes. Menurut laman data COVIDNOW setakat 30 Oktober 2021, 11.59 malam, jumlah kematian adalah seramai 712 dalam tempoh 14 hari, dengan kadar penggunaan katil sebanyak 64 peratus. Kadar lengkap…