Covid cases

THE Covid-19 pandemic “marathon” is not over, even if we wish it to be. Many seem to have a relaxed outlook already, with a drop in mask usage and increased unprotected social gatherings. We have lost all momentum to fix indoor ventilation significantly and vaccination of young children has sadly faltered. Communication by health authorities has been limited to current emerging data and science on our Covid-19 risks. While we work to restart the economy, restore our children’s education loss and support those who have lost jobs or are having food security issues, we must remain mindful of the situation. I would like to briefly summarise current understanding from research and data on Covid-19 and highlight the three pandemics that are occurring. Note: I have not referenced many studies in this letter to facilitate reading. But the comments made are all based on current available data from reliable sources. First pandemic: Covid-19 The Covid-19 pandemic continues to evolve. … [Read more...] about Three pandemics – The worrying long-term effects of Covid-19

This Friday, July 1, there will be an official declaration that Thailand is now in “post pandemic” mode. Here’s an overview of the current situation and what to expect. The word endemic is being avoided as Thai officials believe it will be up to the World Health Organisation to make that call. According to the Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr. Kiattiphum Wongrajit, “What we expect to see is only small or medium clusters that will not do any harm to our public health service. The disease will be under control.” He commented on the international concerns over two new Covid-19 sub-variants, BA.4 and BA.5, noting that infections had already been detected in Thailand but, at this stage, had not led to an increase in the number of serious cases being admitted to hospitals. On the tourist side of the pandemic, deputy government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisaranakul announced that the International Air Transport Association is predicting that foreign visitors to … [Read more...] about Thailand News Today | Post pandemic Thailand – What to expect

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on June 20, 2022 - June 26, 2022. - A + A THE share price of DRB-Hicom Bhd has been on a downward trend since December 2020, when the shortage of semiconductors became apparent the world over. Last Friday, DRB-Hicom was trading at RM1.16 — its lowest since March 23, 2020. This means DRB-Hicom is now trading at the level when stocks tumbled in reaction to the first Movement Control Order (MCO), which was implemented in March 2020 to contain the spread of Covid-19. This is in contrast to other automotive or automotive-based groups listed on Bursa Malaysia. For example, Bermaz Auto Bhd is trading at more than double the level on March 23, 2020, and MBM Resources Bhd is 38% higher than at the start of the pandemic. Shares in Sime Darby Bhd, which is also a conglomerate like DRB-Hicom, were up 43.5% last Friday compared with March 23, 2020. UMW Holdings Bhd, another conglomerate with a huge automotive … [Read more...] about At an almost two-year low, DRB-Hicom is still demonstrating upside uncertainty

New York (CNN Business) The coronavirus pandemic has forced everyone to get creative. Whether through Zoom meetings , online fitness classes or take-out cocktails , companies in nearly every industry are pivoting to get through the crisis. Some work-arounds have been especially creative, such as individual exercise "pods" to get people back into gyms. But beyond short-term fixes, many innovative new strategies and business models have emerged that are likely to stick, even as many jurisdictions begin to reopen in some capacity. In many cases, these transformations are thanks to the increased adoption of technology and the digitization of businesses. Many of these changes were underway pre-coronavirus; the pandemic has just accelerated them. "What's important to customers has changed," John Roese, Dell ( DELL ) Technologies chief technology officer , told CNN Business. "We've broken through a bunch of psychological or … [Read more...] about Here are some of the creative new business models and strategies that have come out of the coronavirus pandemic

FILE PHOTO: A medical worker takes care of a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) hospital, in Greater Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo NEW DELHI — India’s information technology (IT) ministry has written to all social media companies asking them to take down any content that refers to an “Indian variant” of the coronavirus, according to a letter issued on Friday which was seen by Reuters. The World Health Organization said on May 11 that the coronavirus variant B.1.617, first identified in India last year, was being classified as a variant of global concern. The Indian government a day later issued a statement saying media reports using the term “Indian Variant” were without any basis, saying the WHO had classified the variant as just B.1.617. In a letter to social media companies on Friday, the IT … [Read more...] about India asks social media firms to remove reference to ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus

A dog that has been trained to sniff out the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), screens a sweat sample at Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok, Thailand May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva BANGKOK — Thailand on Friday deployed dogs trained to detect coronavirus infections by sniffing samples of human sweat, as the country deals with a spike in infections, including many without symptoms of the virus. Three of six trained Labradors made their debut at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University after trials that the project leader said had shown a success rate of about 95%, with about 2,000 samples sniffed this month. “The canines are very fast at screening,” said co-researcher Thitiwat Sirprasart. “At this pace, we are able to isolate those whom we suspect are infected from those who are virus-free.” The dogs are not required to smell the humans directly. Sweat samples are collected from humans and stored in small metal containers for the dogs to inspect one by one. When a suspected … [Read more...] about Sweat-sniffer dogs make Thai debut as coronavirus detectors

Sledgehammer. INQUIRER.net stock images The Hague, Netherlands — Armed robbers raided one of the world’s leading art fairs in the Dutch city of Maastricht on Tuesday, police said, with a video showing them smashing a display case using a sledgehammer. Dramatic images on social media showed four smartly dressed suspects carrying out the raid and threatening people with what appeared to be handguns at The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in the southwestern city. Police said they had arrested two people and were searching for the others. “Police are investigating a possible armed robbery of the TEFAF in Maastricht. Four suspects are believed to be involved. They are now searched for by multiple units,” Limburg province police said on Twitter. The police said they had closed a number of nearby roads and a major road tunnel as they hunted the suspects. Dutch media said the display case targeted by the robbers contained items from a London jeweler. TEFAF is one of the … [Read more...] about Armed robbers raid top international art fair in Netherlands

SOCIAL DISTANCING Residents queue to receive their second dose of AstraZeneca at a vaccination site inside a mall in Parañaque City. — RICHARD A. REYES MANILA, Philippines — The government will start vaccinating frontline workers on Monday. There are an estimated 35.5 million workers in the identified “essential” sectors. “There will be a ceremonial rollout of vaccination for the A4 group,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Sunday, using the designation for vaccine priority workers. “It is crucial that we already start vaccinating them as they are our economic front-liners,” he added. The official vaccination drive began on March 1 among health workers (A1), then the elderly (A2) and adults with existing illnesses (A3). Official figures showed 1.4 million out of the 1.55 million health workers have received at least their first dose. On the other hand, only 1.3 million out of the 9.4 million elderly and 1.1 million out of the 14.5 million adults with medical … [Read more...] about Gov’t starts vaccination of frontline workers

Financial Supervisory Service building in Yeouido, western Seoul. [YONHAP] Assets of financial holding companies increased 7.4 percent in the first half compared to six months earlier as demand for loans rose, Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) data showed Tuesday. Total assets of the 10 financial holding companies increased 194 trillion won ($164 billion) to reach 2,823 trillion won. The 10 companies are KB, Shinhan, Nonghyup, Woori, Hana, BNK, DGB, JB, Korea Investment and Meritz Holdings. By categories, assets owned by investment firms grew the fastest — increasing 18.9 percent or 48.3 trillion won. This was due to an increase in the value of equities they hold and increases in deposits by retail investors for stock trading. Assets of commercial banks increased by 6.5 percent or 128.6 trillion won from a surge in loans. At credit card companies, assets grew by 7.1 percent or 10.3 trillion won from January to June. For insurance companies, assets increased by 3.7 percent … [Read more...] about Finance sector sees healthy rise in assets in first half