The case against ivermectin

This is the transcript of the reply by Noor Hisham bin Abdullah, Director-General of Health, Malaysia, to a burning question why ivermectin has not been approved for use in the country to treat people affected by Covid-19. This question came at the end of Noor Hisham's public lecture which was organised by The Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society in Penang last Saturday. 

When we look into the data, there is conflicting evidence and there is no consistency among the available data to suggest ivermectin. And remember when this started, we also used hydroxychloroquine, a malarial drug, and we had a clinical trial by WHO, they call it a Solidarity trial, and it was proven that hydroxychloroquine had no effect at all and likewise we used [Note: several names were mentioned very quickly which I was unable to catch] HIV drugs, and they also had no impact to manage Covid-19. Last year even in Parliament this ivermectin issue also was raised. The public raised ivermectin and I actually was also a board member of the DNDi. In fact, two or three years ago when we explored a new compound in the DNDi to treat dengue, ivermectin was raised again in terms of using it to manage and treat dengue. 

Ivermectin is an old drug used for parasitic infection but there is actually an antiviral effect. We know that. The question is the consistency. To use the antiviral effect, you need to have a very high dose of ivermectin and we did a clinical trial for dengue… ivermectin for dengue in Thailand. They did a study. But you need a very high dose and you need close monitoring of ivermectin dosage because otherwise complication of diarrhea, renal toxicity, etc, will be there. They did the trial but halfway through the trial they had to abandon because of the high side effect. This is from Thailand. 

Dr PP Shah asking the "tough" question on ivermectin

What we did last year, and then when the pressure for the Ministry of Health to use ivermectin, we approved ivermectin for clinical trial, exactly what WHO had highlighted. You can use ivermectin but on a clinical trial basis. We started to do the ITEC trial, recruiting patients from both sides on a randomised control study of Covid-19. We had about 500 patients recruited, and then we monitored their progress. They were given ivermectin and whether they deteriorated to Category 4 or 5, more severe forms of Covid-19 and initially there was a lot of pressure on us. We said that we give (approval) in terms of clinical trial. Those enrolled in the clinical trial can use ivermectin. 

We have now completed our clinical trial. In fact, that paper has been published in the Journal of American Medical Association. JAMA journal, one of the peer review journals, a global peer review journal, accepted and it was actually one of the top references for ivermectin study, and that study showed that there was no improvement, no whatsoever benefit in terms of to stop the progression to a severe form. That was the conclusion of the paper. We have another clinical trial ongoing under the Institute of Clinical Research looking into ivermectin as prophylaxis, whether we can use it as a prophylaxis. Again, this trial has not been concluded yet so we cannot comment on that. 

Likewise last year when in Parliament they were asking us to register ivermectin but we needed evidence. Like I said, we follow science, facts and data. This evidence today, when we published the paper in JAMA in America, not only the issues of ivermectin but it shows that our clinical trial in Malaysia is able to penetrate (an) international journal which means the quality and standard of our trial is very high. The data has shown clearly that there is no benefit whatsoever. If you recover with ivermectin, if you don’t take ivermectin you also will recover. This is the thing that we have shown and proved in our clinical trial. We go on that and today this paper, we call it the ITEC paper, is the centre of referral for the global community using ivermectin in Covid-19. 

Public health award

It was a good outing this afternoon. Went to Penang Institute for the sixth Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society annual public lecture. Several weeks ago when the invited speaker was revealed as the Director-General of Health Malaysia, Dr Noor Hisham bin Abdullah, the news had caused quite a stir in Penang. Imagine, the DG himself would be turning up in Penang to honour a true Malaysian hero! 

As expected, the Press turned up in full force at the venue to listen to Noor Hisham's updates on the coronavirus situation in the country. Although the Society might have felt a little sidelined by the presence of the DG, my impression was that the occasion had also brought Dr Wu Lien-Teh back into the limelight. Not too late nor too much!

Together with the public lecture, we also held a little ceremony to receive two paintings of Wu Lien-Teh from a lady artist, Lim Guat Eng. She told me later that prior to several months ago, she had never heard of the doctor but after she did, she was inspired enough to interpret Wu Lien-Teh in two paintings. The first one was completed in two weeks but the second one was more complimented and took her about a month to paint. In any case, she decided to give both paintings to the Society. 

In the last few weeks, the paintings had been sent for framing. I had visited the frame maker about a fortnight ago to take pictures of the paintings before they were mounted as I knew that once framed, reflection would be unavoidable if anyone tried to photograph them. But I was only half successful as one of them was already framed. Ah, well....

Anyway, back to the public lecture, we had the Chief Executive of Penang Institute, Ooi Kee Beng, give his welcome address before Anwar Fazal, the President of the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society, took to the floor to enthrall everyone with his customary informative address. Noor Hisham then spent about an hour on the lecturn to give everyone in the room, as well as those who had tuned in on YouTube and facebook, on a journey of the last 27 or 28 months from the time that the Covid-19 virus had surfaced in Wuhan in November 2019 till the present moment. There was also a more interesting Question And Answer session with the inevitable question of Ivermectin cropping up. More of that in a later posting!

Noor Hisham bin Abdullah receiving The Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society Leadership in Public Health Award from Anwar Fazal

The committee members of The Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society with the Director-General of Health and CEO of Penang Institute: (left to right) Cheah Cheng Chua, Ronald Quay, Ooi Geok Ling, myself, Hor Chee Peng, Anwar Fazal, Noor Hisham bin Abdullah, Ooi Kee Beng, Clement Liang, Alison Chong and Chin Poh Chin

The unveiling of the two paintings by Anwar Fazal and Noor Hisham with the artist, Lim Guat Eng (far left) and Ooi Kee Beng (far right) looking on. The two paintings will be on display at the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Room in the Penang Institute building.

Ooi Kee Beng (CEO, Penang Institute), Anwar Fazal (President, The Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society) and Noor Hisham bin Abdullah (Director-General of Health, Malaysia)

KN100 surgical particulate respirator

Due to this current surge in the omicron variant, I've turned to using this KN100 surgical face mask (correct term is particulate respirator but I'll simply call it a face mask for short) for protection whenever I'm out to certain crowded places like the morning wet markets and shopping malls. I own two types of this mask: the coloured version has an anti-viral copper oxide coating that is meant to neutralise the virus upon contact with the mask. Otherwise, the other type is simply white without the coating.

Both these Cnitizer-brand KN100 face masks are a marked step higher in quality than the regular KN95 face masks that have flooded the pharmacies and online shopping websites. The mask is locally made but has earned certification and accreditation from this independent laboratory in Malaysia known as My Co2 Sdn Bhd. 

How many mask manufacturers do you know that are unafraid to display their lab test results on their products for public scrutiny? Not this KN100 face mask manufacturer! I see those lab test results on every box of their surgical face masks, and I feel very reassured every time because all the laboratory test results consistently surpass the recommended international standards. 

The three specifications everyone should be aware of are the Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE), Particulate Filtration Efficiency (PFE) and the MPPS (Most Penetrating Particle Size). In these areas the results for this particular KN100 face mask came out better than the specs. The Differential Pressure gauge or breathability is also important to me as I would want to know whether I'd feel comfortable wearing the mask for long periods. I do not feel uncomfortable, although I would still recommend removing it when you are breathing in a safer space, for example, if you are alone in your own car.

Know the difference

This information is gleaned from fortune.com: a breakdown of the typical symptoms for each type of infection, as reported by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), scientific studies, doctors, and experts.

Don't let price compromise your health

The recent surge of the omicron variant of Covid-19 should be a cause of concern for everybody. Although we have the Health Ministry trying to play it down by releasing daily statistics showing that the severity is low - about 99.5 percent of reported cases are categorised in Categories 1 and 2, meaning either asymptomatic or very mild - we have the virus ripping through the community almost unchecked.

It is left to the people to check ourselves whether we are infected or not, because that's the new standard operating procedure for life to return to almost near normal. Employers are now requiring their employees to test themselves maybe once a week or once a fortnight to detect infections and take the necessary action.

But how reliable are the test kits? What we see in the market - the pharmacies especially, but also being sold online on Lazada and Shopee - are the rapid antigen test kits of varying quality and prices. I don't know who are manufacturing most of them except that a big majority of the test kits come from China. It is not that I am doubting their effectiveness but when it comes to health, I do not wholly trust products that are manufactured in that country. Surgical masks is one of them. Rapid antigen test kits is another.

I have encountered test kits of different makes that give different results when used at the same time. One test kit showing a negative result and another showing positive. So which is correct: the one showing negative but which could be a false positive or the one showing positive but which could be a false negative? Both, I'm told, were bought online and made in China. The prices vary. I've seen prices going as low as RM4.90 per test kit but the other day, I saw someone offering to sell one for RM3.40. Would you dare go for it?

My son had a scare a few days ago. The Made-in-China test kit he used showed a probable positive infection. Immediately, he went to get a PCR test at a clinic which cost him RM200. And the next day, the results came back negative! Of course, it was a relief to him but he was poorer by RM200. Not to imagine too the stress of 24 hours wondering whether or not he had Covid-19. Now, if he had used a known and reliable test kit to begin with, he wouldn't have to be stressed and his pockets wouldn't be lighter by RM200.

I know it can be difficult to be certain which test kit is reliable or not in this pandemic environment but I would generally use my rule of thumb that a good test kit is one whose price is steady and little affected by market pressure or abnormalities. If you find a test kit sold cheaply, you should be wary and investigate further. Who knows, the importer may just be trying to flood the market with it. Thin margins but huge profits.

Omicron

Rather disturbing, isn't it, when people can sneak out of the country when they are unvaccinated but that was what happened when a group of Malaysians returning from their pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia were tested positive for the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus upon their return. Although the authorities have promised an investigation into this matter, there is this deep concern that these people have already started spreading the virus to the community via their family members and friends. 

We don't know the true extent of the infections as this Omicron variant is reported to be milder than the previous Delta or Indian variant. Being mild mean a greater chance that infected people may mistake their symptoms for the common cold or influenza. 

Plus, I view the daily official numbers released by the Health Ministry with some scepticism. Everyone suspects that the numbers are under-reported, and they may be right! At the very least, friends tell me that we should double the official figures and even then, it may still be inaccurate. Anyhow, if the situation remains unchecked, there is a possibility of a full-blown viral attack by March. (Friends in Australia also doubt their own numbers, saying that they are multiplying their numbers by five or 10 times.) 

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Department has released a list of hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Negri Sembilan for the purpose of quarantining the infected returnees. Thank goodness for this list. There's some comfort here that healthy visitors to KL and the two states can avoid booking themselves into these quarantine hotels. I can never be assured enough that their sanitisation process will be thorough to satisfy me! 

 

Booster jabs taken

I received a notification on the MySejahtera app about a week ago to inform me that I had been scheduled for a Pfizer booster jab on the 28th of November. Likewise, so did my wife. For the past week, we have been rather undecisive whether to take the jab or not. Some said we would be better off taking a Sinovac booster. But finally, we summoned up enough courage to take the jabs together, especially since we learnt that many of our older friends and relatives in their 80s had already received theirs without any problem. 

So we turned up at the Flextronics plant in Bukit Minyak yesterday afternoon. However, there was a last hurdle. As we walked straight in, some friends were coming out and they said that from today (29 Nov), people could have a choice between Pfizer and Sinovac. Therefore, they had declined their scheduled Pfizer booster jabs and would go to the SPICE Arena in Seberang Jaya to get their Sinovac vaccinations instead. 

My wife's will started to dither but I was quite firm that we had come to Flextronics to get our Pfizer jabs and we should get them over with. What the heck; if people start choosing Sinovac, there will probably be a long queue from the 29th onwards and queues were what we wanted to avoid. Moreover, as it was already almost six months since our second Sinovac jab in June, I was very concerned that the efficacy could now be very low. I reasoned that we should take the Pfizer jab now and not delay any longer. For sure, there weren't many people at the Flextronics vaccination centre and it was very smooth-flowing all the way. Also, if the rumours are true, I don't want having to take a booster jab every three months if I were to continue with Sinovac. It will be madness! 

I'm happy to relate that 24 hours after the jab, we haven't had any adverse side effect today except for the expected soreness at the site of the injection. No fatigue encountered too. The panadol tablets remain kept in the medicine cabinet.

All the hyped-up news of one or two deaths after their booster jabs compared with the millions who have taken theirs successfully.... Personally, they are playing psychological havoc with people's minds and emotions. We just need to analyse the situation rationally and go for the offered Pfizer jabs. Besides, I'm confident that these are not the original Pfizer jabs. Science does not stand still. Research does not stand still. What goes into the present Pfizer vaccine should have been modified over the original.

To ivermectin or not to ivermectin?

That is the question. I've a chess friend who is such a supporter of the drug known as ivermectin that in our social media chatgroup, whenever someone posts a story that is anti-ivermectin, he will counter with several pro-ivermectin stories to justify its use to combat the coronavirus. What makes it worse is that he is a lawyer. It's very hard to win an argument against a lawyer, I must tell you. 

Anyway, here is a video by a doctor, Dr Tan Ee Ping, from Kuala Lumpur. To me, she is rather balanced in her presentation and leaves the viewer with room to make his or her conclusion one way or another. What's yours? To ivermectin or not to ivermectin?

Goodbye, Kee Phaik Cheen

I first knew Kee Phaik Cheen and her husband, Dr Choong Sim Poey, in 1990. That was when Dr Choong became the president of the Penang Chess Association. By then, Kee Phaik Cheen was already a Penang state executive council member in charge of the state's tourism efforts. Very friendly, very warm, very exuberant and known to friends and foe in the political arena as Penang's Iron Lady. This was a no mean comparison with the UK's Margaret Thatcher, which in itself says a lot of the respect that people in Penang gave her. Glowing respect from political friends, grudging respect from political foes

Madam Kee Phaik Cheen, later to be bestowed a Dato' award by the Penang Governor, passed away yesterday at 2.40pm after a long fight with the Covid-19 virus. My heart goes out to Dr Choong and family. The last six weeks or so have been very trying. When I learnt that both of them had been infected by the virus - she was hospitalised in a private hospital around 20 June while he was treated at the General Hospital as his infection was milder - I was in a quandary. Not wishing to be too inquisitive, I dared not intrude much into their private affairs. After all, it was a very trying time. Once or twice I resorted to messaging Dr Choong but I couldn't do more, unfortunately. 

Then news filtered in a week ago that her condition had taken a turn for the worse. There were also rumours flying around in social media, even a confirmation that her condition had somewhat stabilised. But then yesterday afternoon, a message from her husband came with the dreaded news that Kee Phaik Cheen had indeed passed away.

During the time when her husband was the chess association's president, I would sometimes see her whenever the committee had our meetings in their Island Glades home in the evenings. But it was always a quick hello before she disappeared into the depths of the house, not wishing to interrupt our meetings. She attended several of the association's functions, especially the opening or closing ceremonies of the Penang Chess League in the 1990s. After the new government had taken over in 2008, she retreated from politics but was still very active socially otherwise. 

Once or twice after that, I met her at the couple's new house in Jesselton Garden on the island when I visited Dr Choong. In the last two years, I was fortunate to have bumped into her on several occasions in a hair salon of all places. I knew that we shared the same hair salon but our paths had never crossed there until lately. So it was a good time to reconnect and catch up. However, the pandemic soon put an end to all this.

So rest in peace, Dato' Kee Phaik Cheen. It was an honour knowing you.

Not levelling off

On the 13th anniversary of George Town being recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site, this is the updated chart of Penang's Covid-19 deaths. One month of the movement control order in the country does not seem to be making any difference in bringing down the numbers, not least in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan. In Penang, the numbers of infection look like holding steady and yesterday, the federal government said the state could go into Phase 2 of the movement control order, which means that more types of business activities can resume, such as hair salons (but no big deal for me presently because my hair is still short enough). However, it is the mortality rate of the Covid-19 patients that continue to concern me because they keep rising. It stands now at 125 cumulative deaths as at 07 July 2021.

Fully vaccinated

Three days ago, my wife and I were vaccinated. Finally! And it wasn't just the first dose; it was the second dose of the Sinovac vaccine for both of us. Although we had to drive all the way to the Kepala Batas Hospital for the jabs, these were journeys well worth taken. 

And no, we did not suffer any adverse side-effects for both jabs although my wife did mention that she had a slight bout of diarrhea the first time around. 

Despite the vaccinations, we are still very careful with our movements outside the house, only going out whenever necessary, taking exercises alone, always wearing our double face masks, washing hands, keeping safe distances from other people and sanitising things like car steering wheels, doorknobs and keychains.

In fact, we shall need  to continue with our self-imposed movement control and personal hygiene for a lot longer. If a certain small, richer and far better managed country like that little red dot down south is finding it difficult to control the current Indian variant, what hope do we have to get the cases down to even triple digits? We've to take constant care of ourselves first!

An unwanted milestone

Penang attained an unwanted milestone on 7 June 2021: the total cumulative Covid-19 deaths in the state reached 100 (and hardly anyone noticed). 😢

Other statistics released by the Health Department in Penang on the same day:

• Total number of cumulative cases in Penang: 30,906
• Current active cases in Penang: 2,049
• Total number of discharged cases in Penang: 28,757

Digging in a bit further, these are the incidents of Covid-19 infections per 1,000 residents in each of the five districts in Penang. The South-West and Province Wellesley Central districts are the most badly affected with almost three persons out of each thousand residents having been tested positive for the coronavirus since tracking began on the 18th of March last year:

• North East - 1.38 infections per 1,000 residents
• South West - 2.95 infections per 1,000 residents
• Province Wellesley North - 1.05 infections per 1,000 residents
• Province Wellesley Central - 2.88 infections per 1,000 residents
• Province Wellesley South - 1.75 infections per 1,000 residents

Penang's coronavirus deaths

I've been collecting data on the coronavirus infections in Malaysia ever since the country went into its first lockdown on the 18th of March last year. It is now 440 days and although we have gone through various stages of lockdowns ever since, there is no sign of the situation improving in the country.

Indeed, with the inept leadership and level of competency shown at federal level, the concern is getting from bad to worse One statistic that stood out from my database is the total number of Covid-19 deaths in Penang since the first day. Little has been said about this but I would want to highlight it now.

It should be a big concern to everyone that the number of deaths has been increasing exponentially in the past two weeks. Right until 17 May 2021, the death toll stood at 42 casualties. That was spread over 426 days.

Immediately after that, more people had died in the next 14 days that in all the preceding 426 days. From 42 deaths on 17 May 2021, the tally on 31 May 2021 rose steeply to 82 deaths: an almost 100 percent increase in numbers. But I guess this is a trend that is reflected across the whole country and not for Penang alone.

Folks, we simply need to keep our guard up. It is solely up to us, whether we like it or not. The coronavirus is an invisible enemy and it cuts across all races and ethnicity. The virus doesn't rest for faith and politicking. It doesn't rest at 8pm when all business activities are required to stop according to government regulations. Covid-19 does not stop at all.

First jab (with Sinovac)

My wife and I have had our anti-coronavirus vaccination on Thursday at the Kepala Batas Hospital. We were in the last of their batch to receive the first dose of the vaccine. After that, the hospital would administer the second dose to those that got the first doses from them. So we shall be in their last batch to get the second dose too. 

By the way, we were given Sinovac. I was surprised because I had thought that we would get the Pfizer. Apparently, not. A doctor there said Pfizer was being phased out already, not only in the hospital but across the nation too. And as an aside, told me quietly that most of the people requested for Sinovac. But in a confident tone, he said their observations showed Sinovac had less side-effects. Those with more chronic diseases would be given Pfizer. I'm not in that category yet, thank goodness. 

So far, so good. This is the third day since the injection. Arm at the area of the jab felt a little sore towards the night of the first day but by yesterday, that feeling had disappeared. It's back to normal although it is still very important to keep our guards up. That means, wearing masks properly, keeping our distance, washing our hands and generally maintaining our hygiene standards.

On the matter of wearing masks, this doctor noted that I was wearing two layers of surgical masks and told me that I shouldn't be wearing them that way. The correct way, he said, was to wear a cloth mask over a piece of surgical mask. That would be sufficient and much better, he said. 

Anyway, the people at the hospital were courteous towards all the people that turned up for their injections. A cross-section of the community. Went from one section to another, having to scan the QR codes in the MySejahtera app when needed. Blood pressure taken before and after the jab, including a measurement of our blood oxygen levels. And finally, a 15-minute wait before we departed. My next appointment will be on the 17th of June. I shall have to cross districts again to go to Kepala Batas but surprisingly, there were no road blocks last Thursday.

George Town, 53 years apart

This is a picture of George Town in 1968, taken from Penang Hill and attributed to a photographer named Philip Tracy. I took it from the Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) Discussions page on facebook. 

The city was relatively flat in 1968 with very few tall buildings jutting out from the uniformity of the old pre-war houses. The Customs clock tower stood out prominently against the waters of the Channel. The KOMTAR tower was more than a dream away because the general election was still unheld and Penang hadn't been captured by Lim Chong Eu's Gerakan party yet. More significantly, the mainland side of the state was greened by large tracts of padi fields except for the strip along the coastal area occupied by Butterworth. 

Compare the above picture with a more recent picture (below) from about a lookout point on Jalan Tuanku Yahya Petra in Penang Hill. I had taken this picture on the 21st of April - last month - when I enjoyed an overnight stay at the Bellevue Hotel. The KOMTAR tower juts out prominently from the high-rise buildings below it, and there are many! All haphazardly built in whatever fashion and in whatever way. That's development for us and we shall have to live with it. Because of all these developments, the Customs clock tower is no longer a prominent landmark and has blended into the mess that's called George Town today. Butterworth is now significantly developed and the North Butterworth Container Terminal occupies the mainland side of the Channel.

I might as well complete this story with a picture of the city at night. Taken from the Bellevue Hotel at about 11 o'clock at night, much of the city lights were already switched off. However, the KOMTAR tower was bathed in glowing red to reflect that Penang was in a red zone during this coronavirus pandemic.

Silent killer

Over the past week or so, I have been rocked by reports from my friends of people they know who have succumbed to the dreaded coronavirus. I've lost count of the number but it must be five or six within the week. Of these victims of covid-19, one was known to me as he had not only been an Old Free, four years my junior in school, but he had also been an ex-colleague of mine in two organisations: National Echo (earlier known as Straits Echo Press) and Ban Hin Lee Bank. 

I worked at the National Echo for only six months from December 1976 till May 1977, and this friend had joined maybe in April or May of 1977. After I left to join the bank, I was pleasantly surprised to see him join the same bank in 1979. I can't remember the month he joined though. Later, I learnt that he did leave the National Echo to join The Star newspaper. My unnamed friend was afflicted by the coronavirus around Chinese New Year but whilst in the hospital, he suffered two heart attacks. He had clung on until the 13th of May.

I won't be saying anything else about the other cases because the victims were not known to me personally. But I shall say that I am still sad about their passing; knowing so many people have died in the past 10 days means that the danger from this invisible enemy is not decreasing. It's the opposite! In Penang alone, the accumulated death toll from the coronavirus had risen from 28 at the end of April to 50 on the 20th of May. That's an increase of 22 deaths in 20 days alone in Penang. (eight deaths recorded for 17 May and seven deaths on 20 May.)

A few days ago, I heard this now famous rant on Whatsapp which complained of the government giving short shrift to the aged care homes of senior citizens around the country. Although they had registered to be vaccinated under the government's nationwide covid-19 vaccination programme, the homes had been practically ignored. This public complaint was a catalyst before the government was jolted into promising that the senior citizens in these homes would be vaccinated soon. 

The other catalyst was the devastating news of an old folks home in Katz Street getting affected by the virus. A 68-year-old man who worked at the home was identified as the index case. Subsequently, 36 inmates of the home were confirmed affected. Not only was this home closed, two other related homes where this index case also worked were closed off.  

Then came news of several infections that caused temporary closures for cleansing and sanitisation: the Bagan Ajam market in Butterworth, the Jelutong market in George Town, the Batu Lanchang food court and the Super Tanker hawker food centre on the island. Several weeks or months earlier the Pulau Tikus market had been temporarily closed too. I believe all these would not have happened if the traders, hawkers and customers had taken more precautions with the SOPs. By that, would include keeping a safe social distance from one another of at least a metre apart but that would be practically impossible in a market, wearing suitable face masks and washing hands regularly. 

To add to these, I would also say bathing and changing clothes after visiting the markets, which suggests that one shouldn't visit the markets every day if one can help it. Stock up the perishables in your refrigerator for at least a week if possible. Personally, my wife and I are taking 1000mg of Vitamin C everyday while a pharmacist friend has also recommended zinc and Vitamin D3 supplements too. 

I've also resorted to wearing double surgical face masks when I visit the market, and encouraging others to follow suit. It is still comfortable enough to wear two face masks. Breathing is still easy also although I wouldn't recommend exercising in them. But for everyday mundane use outside the house and visiting crowded places, I recommend this. Some people like to use cloth masks but I think they are not as effective as the surgical face masks.

Unfortunately, there are still people flouting this face mask SOP. Yesterday at the Kampong Baru market in Bukit Mertajam, although regulations have been tightened on allowing the number of people to enter the market, I found several traders openly miswearing their masks below their noses for whatever reasons. They might as well not wear one at all if they do not want to cover their noses. A covid-19 accident is waiting to happen at this market place.

Getting vaccinated

This is the vaccination centre in Sungai Jawi, Province Wellesley South. It's housed in the public multi-purpose hall over there. Very spacious interior. I had gone there with my mother-in-law on the 10th of this month, for her scheduled first jab of the Pfizer vaccine. Mine was still a long way off, by the way. So I filled up the form on her behalf and then took her through all the stations before ending up at Room D to await her turn. Finally, there was a 15-minute wait for observation before I took her home again in Bandar Tasek Mutiara. All in, a rather bloodless and painless 45-minute process, and she's still feeling all right today. 

PS. Contrary to all the rumours of people being offered a jab if they turn up without notice, no-one offered me a chance to take my first vaccine jab for accompanying my mother-in-law to the centre. I would have refused anyway because I'd rather have the vaccination together with my wife. 

Covid-19 trend in Malaysia

This is my chart of covid-19 infections in Malaysia from the first day (18 Mar 2020) until yesterday (13 May 2021). The y-axis indicates the number of daily infections while the x-axis indicates the day since the data was first published by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. It is a worrying trend especially since it is known that the Indian variant has been found in the country. Our only hope is to get vaccinated fast but is the government doing enough? In the meantime, it is up to us to guard against this invisible enemy. Follow the SOPs, mask up, keep your distance from others and avoid enclosures, especially air-conditioned areas. 

Phenomenal pandemonium of a pandemic

I've never seen one of my friends, a private medical practitioner in Penang, feeling so emotional before but I don't blame him at all. We are living in extraordinary times and any right-thinking man would feel this way too. In a Whatsapp message to my schoolmates, he said, 

"India is facing the 3Ps, Phenomenal Pandemonium of a deadly 2nd wave Covid-19 Pandemic. From a drop of Covid-19 cases from Oct 2020 till Jan 2021 there was a lull before a storm when thereafter emerges a massive unprecedented surge of sick Covid-19 patients and deaths till now.

There was basically ignorance, over-confidence and poor, lackadaisical attitude towards proper basic SOP of social distancing, wearing masks and sanitisation. There was utter callousness with over-excited religious congregations, election rallies, big farmers' protests being allowed publicly. Caution was thrown to the wind and this disaster most probably culminated with a new Covid-19 virulent variant.

Is this familiar with Malaysia, letting loose and letting her guard down in Ramadan, impending GE15, emergence of new Covid-19 variants thereby triggering a fourth wave of 3Ps like India?? Scary even just thinking about it...."

Coronavirus numbers

Exactly 10 months of various permutations of the movement control order in Malaysia and we have come to this. The data is not pretty and they don't instil much confidence in the fight against this pandemic if the numbers, that is, the confirmed infections, keep going up.