SEPTEMBER , 2021 | THE HEALTH

| The Health says ... |

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Quality assurance for the world SIRIM enhances capabilities of Malaysia ’ s medical device manufacturers through proper certification and compliance

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Self-screening using saliva RTK- Antigen test kits A convenient and quick way to test yourself for Covid-19 at home but ensure you follow the instructions closely

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Helping combat obesity Lockdowns are the best time for you to challenge yourself to get into a fitness regime and change your lifestyle

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Speed and scale in pandemic management Early prevention of disease severity progression , which is perhaps the most pressing need in pandemic management , is still overlooked

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Saints and rogues in academia It is important to recognise a deceitful physician so as to save you a lot of stress later

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The Ivermectin story and controversy For some strange reason , this drug has been subjected to a persistent disinformation campaign

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Enhance your immune system Getting proper nutrition goes a long way in enhancing your health and strengthening your immunity

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Burnout among healthcare frontliners There seems to be a dearth of study assessing the relationship between safety attitude and psychological impact of being overburdened with work

Did the relevant authorities conduct a detailed study of the implications before deciding , or was it a politically appeasing move ?

When the restrictions were loosened effective Aug 10 , the number of daily infections in the country was above 20,000 . And more than 40 per cent of them were from the Klang Valley , which is still in Phase 1 .

Now that the hospitalisations and ICU cases are gradually reducing in the Klang Valley , is it wise to loosen restrictions or move into Phase 2 ? What if the cases start rising again ? If we look at Perlis and Sarawak , which went into Phase 3 , the number of positive cases has increased .

There should be no one-size-fits-all when it comes to lifting restrictions . We must consider the vaccination and infectivity rates in each State before moving into Phase 2 or 3 or lifting restrictions .

We should learn from previous mistakes . The number of cases spiked after the December 2020 school holidays when people were allowed to travel freely .

While we need to strike a balance between the health of the people and the economy , it should be done with a carefully laid out plan . We should not be hasty as haste only makes waste .

And doesn ’ t the latest policy of exempting fully vaccinated people from certain restrictions discriminatory ? What about children and those who can ’ t get vaccinated due to medical grounds ?

More critical is enforcement to ensure the rules are followed . People should never lie about their vaccination status . They are putting others at risk of getting infected and even dying of Covid-19 .

It is also worrying that some are trying to buy vaccination certificates from clinics without getting vaccinated . This has severe implications .

It looks like the Covid-19 virus is not likely to disappear anytime soon . We will eventually have to accept it as an endemic , just like the flu .

That means we must step up our vaccination rate , especially outside the Klang Valley , follow the SOPs and monitor the situation closely .

In the meantime , we hope our new Health Minister will beef up our healthcare facilities for future eventualities .